By Jack Robert Stacey | Editor-in-Chief  
Over the last few weeks, however, the holiday season has been ushered in an entirely different way. 
This so-called ÔÇÿChristmas of ConsumptionÔÇÖ has officially begun to seep into television advertisements and shop window displays across the UK. Despite still stressing the importance of traditional values like goodwill and celebrating together, many critics have suggested that modern Christmas culture has now become more focused on gift giving and spending over the festive period than ever before.┬á
According to research published by the Bank of England, the spending habits of people in the UK increases by approximately 29% in December on average (an increase of £740 from previous months). 
Additionally, as warned by a number of financial commentators, this annual increase in spending is particularly impactful for economically-challenged households; a number of which are already struggling with mounting debt. 
Over the festive period in the US, for instance, new research has found that an estimated 22% of Americans fall into debt every year as the result of their spending over Christmas.
This increase in spending does not only apply to customers, but also to advertisers and retailers who often make efforts to produce high-quality, cinematic annual advertisements. Recent financial forecasts have reflected this trend with UK companies forecast to devote almost ┬ú8 billion to advertising during the three months surrounding Christmas day ÔÇô A key advertising period for retailers known as the ÔÇÿgolden quarter.ÔÇÖ┬á
Whilst the idea behind Christmas has continued to change and evolve over time, these findings highlight a growing trend in the way that people are choosing to celebrate over the festive period. 
To many, therefore, this focus on spending raises a number of interesting questions around the impact that this ÔÇÿChristmas of ConsumptionÔÇÖ is having on our understanding of the holiday, namely: ÔÇÿHave we forgotten the true meaning of Christmas?ÔÇÖ
With all of this in mind, itÔÇÖs important to recognise that there is much more to Christmas than our increasingly contrived and spending-focused relationship with it. Although people celebrate the festive season in a variety of different ways, this is fundamentally a time to come together with friends and family to reflect on the events of the past year.
This is perhaps best summarised in the words of Henry David Thoreau, a nineteenth-century philosopher and essayist who wrote that: ÔÇ£The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much.”
Gan fod y nosweithiau bellach yn tyfu’n oerach a bod strydoedd wedi’u leinio ag addurniadau ar thema’r Nadolig, mae’n ymddangos bod cyfnod y Nadolig, p’un a ydym yn barod ar ei gyfer ai peidio, wedi cyrraedd unwaith eto.
Dros yr wythnosau diwethaf, fodd bynnag, mae tymor y gwyliau wedi’i dywys mewn ffordd gwbl wahanol.
Mae’r ‘Nadolig Bwyta’ fel y’i gelwir wedi dechrau’n swyddogol i hysbysebion teledu ac arddangosfeydd ffenestri siopau ledled y DU.Er ei fod yn dal i bwysleisio pwysigrwydd gwerthoedd traddodiadol fel ewyllys da a dathlu gyda’i gilydd, mae llawer o feirniaid wedi awgrymu bod diwylliant modern y Nadolig bellach wedi canolbwyntio mwy ar roi anrhegion a gwario dros gyfnod yr ┼Áyl nag erioed o’r blaen.
Yn ├┤l ymchwil a gyhoeddwyd gan Fanc Lloegr, mae arferion gwario pobl yn y DU yn cynyddu tua 29% ym mis Rhagfyr ar gyfartaledd (cynnydd o ┬ú740 o’r misoedd blaenorol).
Yn ogystal, fel y rhybuddiodd nifer o sylwebyddion ariannol, mae’r cynnydd blynyddol hwn mewn gwariant yn arbennig o effeithiol ar gyfer aelwydydd sy’n cael eu herio’n economaidd; mae nifer ohonynt eisoes yn cael trafferth gyda dyledion cynyddol.
Dros gyfnod yr ┼Áyl yn yr Unol Daleithiau, er enghraifft, mae ymchwil newydd wedi canfod bod tua 22% o Americanwyr yn mynd i ddyled bob blwyddyn o ganlyniad i’w gwariant dros y Nadolig.
Mae’r cynnydd hwn mewn gwariant nid yn unig yn berthnasol i gwsmeriaid, ond hefyd i hysbysebwyr a manwerthwyr sy’n aml yn ymdrechu i gynhyrchu hysbysebion blynyddol sinematig o ansawdd uchel.Mae rhagolygon ariannol diweddar wedi adlewyrchu’r duedd hon gyda rhagolygon cwmn├»au’r DU yn neilltuo bron i ┬ú8 biliwn i hysbysebu yn ystod y tri mis o amgylch dydd Nadolig ÔÇô Cyfnod hysbysebu allweddol i fanwerthwyr a elwir yn ‘chwarter euraidd’.
Er bod y syniad y tu ├┤l i’r Nadolig wedi parhau i newid ac esblygu dros amser, mae’r canfyddiadau hyn yn amlygu tuedd gynyddol yn y ffordd y mae pobl yn dewis dathlu dros gyfnod yr ┼Áyl.
I lawer, felly, mae’r ffocws hwn ar wariant yn codi nifer o gwestiynau diddorol ynghylch yr effaith y mae’r ‘Nadolig Bwyta’ hwn yn ei chael ar ein dealltwriaeth o’r gwyliau, sef: ‘A ydym wedi anghofio gwir ystyr y Nadolig?’
Gyda hyn i gyd mewn golwg, mae’n bwysig cydnabod bod llawer mwy i’r Nadolig na’n perthynas gynyddol gyffiniol a phellach sy’n canolbwyntio ar wariant ag ef.Er bod pobl yn dathlu tymor yr ┼Áyl mewn amrywiaeth o wahanol ffyrdd, mae hwn yn amser yn y b├┤n i ddod ynghyd ├ó ffrindiau a theulu i fyfyrio ar ddigwyddiadau’r flwyddyn ddiwethaf.
Efallai mai’r ffordd orau o grynhoi hyn yng ngeiriau Henry David Thoreau, athronydd a thraethawdwr o’r bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg a ysgrifennodd: “Mae’r ffordd rydych chi’n treulio’r Nadolig yn llawer pwysicach na faint.”
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