5 Ways to put the magic back into holiday shopping

Ah, holiday shopping...

It was once a time of twinkling store windows. Dramatic doorbuster deals. And enough frantic energy to make Home Alone's airport scene look calm.

I remember being a kid, and my panic-stricken mother dragging me around the mall, hell-bent on checking each person off her list before I could sit on Santa's lap.

The finale? A McDonald's cheeseburger.

It was an event. The event.

And, although chaotic, it had that feeling. You know, of holiday cheer or whatever.

Now, holiday shopping seems to have followed the same path as, well, everything else in the fricken world.

It's turned into an algorithm-powered endurance race that starts with Black Friday in July and never seems to end.

Thanks to a particular Bezos-owned company, and its other copycats, every holiday season feels like a never-ending loop of beige banners screaming 'Deals, Deals, Deals!'

And I’ll be real with y’all, I’m over it.

Holiday season has lost all meaning and my wallet is SUFFERING.

How did we get here? And more importantly – how can we break the never-ending sale cycle and reignite the magic of the holidays?

The Black Friday creep and the beige-ing of the holidays.

Amazon’s 'Prime Early Access' sales and year-round discount culture turned Black Friday into Black November (or let’s be honest, Black Quarter Four).

What used to be a single, high-energy day has bled into weeks of notifications nudging you to snag 'unmissable deals' on random products like portable blenders and heated socks.

Heated socks, for crying out loud. We used to build PYRAMIDS.

Anyway, yes, it has some perks. But this endless sale slog has sucked the soul out of holiday shopping.

Instead of magical moments, consumers are bombarded with sameness: same discount strategies, same cluttered graphics, same feeling of FOMO-fuelled exhaustion.

Blegh.

And it isn’t just ruining its holiday marketing; it's setting the tone for everyone else.

Competing brands feel forced to play along, diluting their unique value in favour of chasing discounts that lead to a race-to-the-bottom pricing game.

Suddenly, everyone’s having a sale everywhere and consumers don’t know where to look.

So, what can we learn from this mess?

It’s easy to blame companies like Amazon and their scale, but the real issue is creativity—or lack thereof. If you’re a brand trying to cut through the noise, here’s how you can reclaim excitement without falling into the beige abyss.

1. Create moments, not months.

Consumers don’t want four weeks of weak sales—they want events.

Make your campaign feel exclusive and finite. Consider running one high-impact day (or even hour) of unique deals, or host a flash sale that’s more about the experience than the discount.

For example, brands like REI have turned Black Friday on its head with their #OptOutside campaign, swapping sales for an anti-consumerism movement. Instead of blending in, they stood out by taking a bold, values-driven stance.

2. You know I hate to say it, but tap into nostalgia.

WITHIN REASON. Don’t, for the love of god, make your entire sales campaign 90s themed.

Do, however, create campaigns that tap into those warm-and-fuzzy memories. Think throwback products or even experiential marketing that lets people relive classic holiday moments.

The holidays are built on traditions, and people love to be reminded of the good old days, instead of generic 'holiday sale' messaging.

3. Remember anticipation? Yeah, let’s bring that back.

Amazon’s 'Prime Early Access' model skips the build-up entirely. Why wait for Black Friday when every day is Black Friday? That’s a missed opportunity for emotional investment.

Create a narrative that draws people in. Tease your campaign like it’s the season finale of a binge-worthy show—drop hints, reveal surprises, and make your audience want to tune in.

Look at how Apple handles product launches. They’re not dropping discounts; they’re dropping jaws with precision-timed reveals and storytelling that turns every product into an event.

4. Go big on IRL.

Here’s a crazy thought: you can still utilise the real world. Yes!! You can touch grass! And create experiential campaigns!! Outside of the internet!!

In the age of online everything, physical events stand out. Pop-up shops, holiday workshops, or in-store exclusives can help recapture the joy of real-world shopping while creating Instagram-worthy buzz.

Think of Starbucks' red cup season. It’s more than a product—it’s an event people anticipate, talk about, and share. And there’s not a discount in sight.

5. Quality over quantity.

Not every sale needs to be SO overwhelming. Focus on curating a handful of meaningful deals or exclusive products instead of a wall of markdowns. When scarcity is intentional, it feels special rather than exhausting.

Reclaiming holiday magic.

Black Friday and Tech Giants may have bulldozed the charm out of holiday shopping. But that doesn’t mean your brand has to follow.

By creating experiences, leaning into storytelling, and prioritising authenticity, you can stand out in a season that desperately needs a little sparkle.

Call it a capitalist ploy, but the holidays are meaningful. They're often a way for us to come together and close off the challenging chapters of the year.

Because let’s face it: we don’t need more discounts on heated socks. We need excitement, connection, and a reason to care.

-Sophie, Writer