Children's Gift Prices Have Soared... Santa's Backbone Faces an Unprecedented Strain

Sharp Rise in Christmas Gift Prices Including Toys
Limited Editions and Souvenirs Also Costly
"We Must Remember the True Spirit of Christmas"

The backs of all Santa Clauses, both domestic and international, who delivered 'Christmas gifts' to children this year have been bent. It has been revealed that parents' 'Christmas stress' has worsened due to soaring toy prices over the past few years.

The British public broadcaster BBC reported that parents preparing Christmas gifts this year all expressed the burden of 'gift costs.' While the price increase in gifts such as toys and cakes is partly due to inflation over the past few years, the more significant reason is the fierce 'gift competition' through social networking services (SNS).

Christmas gift. Getty Images

In English-speaking countries, it has become a trend to post images of Christmas gifts on SNS as if to boast. Most gifts are quite expensive products that are difficult for ordinary parents to afford. Charlotte, a parenting blogger raising a son, told the media, "As children grow, the cost of gifts is skyrocketing," adding, "This Christmas has been quite stressful."

Meanwhile, toy companies are producing 'premium products' to match the soaring Christmas prices. In the UK, even the cost of an 'Advent calendar,' a commemorative calendar marking the four weeks before Christmas, reaches 25 pounds (about 46,000 won). Regarding this, Charlotte appealed, "The Advent calendar is not even a Christmas gift. It is closer to a gift given before Christmas," adding, "But its price already rivals that of Christmas gifts."

She explained the reason for the rising cost of Christmas gifts, saying, "The increasingly influential roles of YouTube and Instagram influencers have played a big part," and "Children do not realize how expensive high-priced gifts actually are, and parents who have to bear the cost are now beginning to feel the pressure."

The concern over Christmas gift expenses is not only a problem for Western parents. In Korea as well, the cost of children's gifts soared to unprecedented heights throughout this Christmas season.

The Advent calendar is an event calendar covering four weeks from December 1st to 24th. Recently, limited edition and premium versions have been mass-produced, causing prices to soar. Photo by Amazon capture

Most of the top-selling toys on Naver Shopping and Emart Mall were priced close to 100,000 won. The currently most popular toy model among children, 'Catch Teenieping Shooting Star Fact,' is priced at 93,900 won, and 'Saecom Dalkom Teenieping Magic Palace' is 88,000 won. The Lego Duplo freight train for toddlers costs 152,900 won at retail price, and the steam locomotive is 89,900 won.

A psychology expert analyzed that the obsession with 'happiness' has fueled Christmas expenses. Catherine Janson-Boyd, a professor of consumer psychology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK, told BBC, "The pressure to be happy creates competition," pointing out, "The thought that one cannot enjoy it like others makes some people feel deprivation and loneliness."

Some voices call for a return to the 'true spirit' of Christmas. Fiona Barnard, who runs a parenting blog, emphasized to the media, "Christmas is originally a day to spend time with family or loved ones," adding, "We need to return to the basics of sharing time with family, not piles of money."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.