A holiday supposed to be about sharing with loved ones has turned into a money-spending competition, where adults strive to have the most decorated house, the biggest Christmas tree, the largest posadas, and even spend the most on their kids.

They say Jesus is the reason for the season, but locals demonstrate the opposite by investing thousands on gifts, parties, Christmas tree decorators and so on. The dozens of posadas with family members, friends, classmates only end up adding more to the Christmas expenses. So, how much does Christmas cost?

The amount of money that is spent during the holidays every year can take a toll on a family’s budget, but many argue that these expenses are either necessary or obligatory. A 10th grader, Valeria Tirado commented: “I do think many families spend more to look good because at one point kids brag about what Santa brought them. Also, the parents compete with one another and feel this need for Santa to bring the best gifts to their children.”

An 11th-grader’s mother also stated: “Christmas was once a holiday I loved, but when all of the expenses and gifts came by, it changed the meaning of what Christmas is to me.”

We asked 15 moms to give us their average Christmas expenses. This includes money spent on gifts for godsons, friends, posadas, and their children. It is essential to keep in mind that there are additional expenses during Christmas time, but this number is simply an average of different families’ expenses.

One of the mothers surveyed, whose total expense was around 95,000 pesos, explained how this adds up: “For my 11 godsons, I spend an average of 1,600-2,000 pesos for each.Ibuygiftsforatotalof15friendswhichis a total of 4,000 pesos. In posadas, my total is 12,000 pesos, and for my kids gifts I spend around 20,000 pesos for each.”

12th grader José Romero concluded, “I believe people can do whatever they want with their money and spend it on whatever they choose, but I also believe that Christmas is a time of giving and part of this is donating to people in need and not only for things we want.”

Giving gifts to friends and family should not be a tradition that is expected to be followed. What do godparents even do apart from buying presents? The amount of money destined for gifts could be used in a more beneficial way, like for despensas or helping those in need. Maybe it would be better to be present than buy a present.

What Could You Buy With 83,323 Pesos?

The total amount of money spent between 15 moms adds up to 1,249,845, which creates an average of 83,323 pesos of expens- es per mom. To put this into perspective, here's a list of all of the things that we can buy with the average total of one mom: