A Guide to Anti-Materialistic Christmas Movements Around the World

The increasing commercialization of Christmas has sparked various movements worldwide that seek to reclaim the holiday’s original spirit by rejecting consumerism and emphasizing values like family connection, environmental sustainability, and social justice.

Buy Nothing Christmas

Originating in Canada in 2001, Buy Nothing Christmas (also called Adbusters’ “Buy Nothing Day”) encourages people to opt out of consumer culture during the holiday season. The movement promotes spending time with loved ones, creating handmade gifts, and volunteering instead of shopping. Participants often organize community events, skill-shares, and gift exchanges that don’t involve purchasing new items. The movement has spread internationally, with particularly strong followings in North America, the UK, and Australia.

Scandinavian Simplicity Traditions

Several Nordic countries have cultivated cultural practices that naturally resist excessive materialism. In Sweden, the concept of “lagom” (meaning “just the right amount”) extends to Christmas celebrations, emphasizing modest gift-giving and focusing on hygge-style coziness and togetherness. Denmark’s tradition of homemade decorations and baked goods over store-bought extravagance reflects similar values. These aren’t formal movements but deeply embedded cultural attitudes that many Scandinavians consciously preserve against creeping commercialism.

The Advent Conspiracy

Founded by a group of American pastors in 2006, the Advent Conspiracy challenges Christians to redirect their holiday spending toward charitable causes. The movement’s four principles are: worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all. Participants calculate what they would typically spend on gifts and donate a portion to causes addressing global water crises and poverty. The movement has raised millions for clean water projects in developing nations and has chapters across the United States and in several other countries.

Japan’s KFC-Free Christmas Movement

While not highly organized, a growing number of Japanese families are pushing back against the commercialized tradition of eating KFC on Christmas Eve (a marketing creation from the 1970s). These families are choosing to cook meals at home, emphasizing family time and homemade food over branded consumer experiences. Small community groups organize alternative celebrations focused on traditional Japanese values of simplicity and mindfulness.

Kris Kindle and Secret Santa Alternatives

In Ireland and parts of Europe, some families and communities have reformed the Kris Kindle (Secret Santa) tradition to combat gift-giving excess. Instead of everyone buying for everyone, adults draw one name and set low spending limits (often €10-20) or restrict gifts to handmade, secondhand, or experience-based items. Some groups have adopted “White Elephant” exchanges using only items already owned, preventing new purchases entirely.

The Simple Living Movement

This broader lifestyle philosophy intensifies around Christmas. Advocates like Elaine St. James and Joshua Becker promote minimal gift-giving, with suggestions including the “four gift rule” (something they want, need, wear, and read), experience gifts instead of physical items, and charitable donations in someone’s name. Online communities share strategies for navigating family pressure and creating meaningful celebrations without excess.

Latin American Posadas Revival

In Mexico and Central America, some communities are reviving traditional posadas celebrations that focus on religious reenactment, community gathering, and simple shared meals rather than gift exchanges. These nine-night celebrations leading up to Christmas emphasize storytelling, singing, and communal prayer, offering an alternative to commercial celebrations imported from the United States.

German “Grüne Weihnachten” (Green Christmas)

Environmental organizations in Germany have promoted sustainable Christmas practices including buying local, avoiding plastic toys, choosing real trees from sustainable forests over plastic ones, and drastically reducing packaging waste. Some cities host “green Christmas markets” featuring only sustainable, fair-trade, and locally produced goods. The movement connects anti-materialism with environmental activism.

Australian “Kris Kringle” Spending Limits

Many Australian families and workplaces have institutionalized strict Kris Kringle spending limits (typically $10-30 AUD) and encourage creative, funny, or handmade gifts. This has become so normalized that the expectation of expensive gift-giving has significantly decreased in many social circles, making it easier for people to opt into simpler celebrations without social penalty.

The Gift of Time Movement

This international approach encourages giving “time” instead of things—offering babysitting coupons, home-cooked meals, car washing services, or teaching a skill. Particularly popular among millennials and Gen Z, this movement recognizes that meaningful connection and practical help often matter more than consumer goods.

Practical Steps for Individuals

Those interested in adopting anti-materialistic Christmas practices can start with manageable changes: setting family gift budgets and discussing them openly, choosing one charity to support together as a family, organizing gift-free gatherings focused on activities or meals, creating rather than buying decorations, or implementing a “one in, one out” rule where new gifts prompt donations of old items.

These movements share common threads: prioritizing relationships over things, recognizing environmental costs of consumption, reclaiming time from shopping and stress, and returning to spiritual or cultural roots of celebration. While they vary in organization and reach, they collectively represent a significant counter-current to commercial Christmas culture.