Is this an unpopular opinion? Perhaps the initial delivery comes across as controversial, but once you think about it and hear my points you may feel a little more understanding of my side. You might even agree and find yourself having a revelation as to why these kinds of books don’t work with you.

Let me start by stating this – I do not dislike or hate anyone who reads these kinds of books or partakes in the actions I will be discussing. I do not dislike or hate any authors who decide to write or have written these kinds of books. I do not dislike or hate anyone with a different opinion to me on this matter, for I am open to hearing what others think and I would like to know the opposite side of the argument. This is purely my opinion and my thought process when it comes to festive books. My understanding of events mentioned, especially those with cultural or religious groundings, is limited and may contain misinformation or a lack of nuance. Please be respectful should you decide to continue this discussion on this topic.

When I think of events like Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year’s, the first thing that comes to mind these days is the consumerism and commercialisation. Instead of it being a day to celebrate love and partnership, Valentine’s Day comes with this social pressure to buy and prove that you love your partner because you spend x amount of money on them. There are other love language than receiving or buying gifts – quality time, physical touch, words of affirmation, and acts of service – but the spirit of Valentine’s Day seems to push them aside and demand money. Similarly, Halloween has become more focused on the costumes and the sweets (don’t even get me started on the norm of going to strangers’ houses and expecting food which goes directly against the stranger danger teachings of childhood). The more expensive or elaborate your costume, your house decor, your spooky setup, etc. the better you look in a social context. Christmas has the same pressure to perform and pay for the “look” of a perfect Christmas, taking away from the true meaning of these events.

If we’re supposed to be paying for something, shouldn’t we be paying attention to the significance of these events? These events are about people, families, communities and generations past and future. By immortalising the consumeristic culture of these events in books, it reads to me like there is no deeper meaning to these events, especially those I am not familiar with through a cultural or religious connection. I would love to read books where the celebrations of events are deeply linked to a tradition, for example, the Scottish celebration of Hogmanay. Not only does it make the book feel more interesting as I am learning something new about a culture or group, but if it is part of a characters identity it seems only right to show this part of them through these events.

On to a lighter note, I struggle to connect and relate to many festivities and events on the basis that the season is completely different in my experience. Let me explain. Most stories I have read featuring a celebration or festivity are located in the Northern Hemisphere where Halloween is tied to Autumn and the harvest season and Christmas is in Winter. In the Southern Hemisphere, Halloween falls in Spring; the expectation of oranges, reds and browns is instead meet with the reality of greens and pinks and the vibrance of new floral life. The only white Christmas I would experience is that with a wine and some pavlova, or on the beach wth the surf breaking. Our Christmases feature barbecues, the hot sun, and lots of sunscreen (I suppose that is the real white Christmas there – being lathered up in sunscreen to the point you look like a ghost). I can put the seasonal aspect of it aside for a fun read, but there is a disconnect for me.

But back to a more serious topic: have we started to appropriate these events? As a non-religious person battling with my own cultural identity, I am questioning whether or not it is right to have commercialised these events, and for that commercialisation and appropriation to have seeped through into media. In a world where the sanctity and seriousness of cultural practices are rightly being advocated for, it feels wrong to me that consumerism is being pushed so heavily. As a New Zealander, its safe to say there are no national ties to American and English events that originated before the British arrived in Aotearoa (looking at you, Guy Fawkes Day). However, as we are a multi-cultural nation, I understand the need for representation of all cultures. With that being said, I haven’t seen many books focusing on other cultural events and festivities being pushed as much on bookish social media. If you have book recommendations let me know, as I would loove to compile a list for my 2025 reading.

Again, I’m not bashing anyone that reads festive books, nor am I saying you are a bad person for liking or loving these books. There are some very cute contemporary romances with a festive setting, and Halloween books do fall into my autumnal preference for reading. While Halloween is a feature in many autumnal books, I think the breadth of genres and themes makes it feel more like a seasonal read than a festive read. Let me know what you think – do you agree with any points I have made? Do you have more to add? Or do you have points in favour of festive books?