I am a busy mom who doesn’t want to be caught dead in the dystopian hellscape that is your local mall in December. So naturally, I started my Christmas shopping – and budgeting – early this year. Yes, it’s November, but advanced planning is essential if you want to avoid shipping delays or being told your child’s preferred Labubu is out of stock.
On November 1, I woke up after a night of Trick- or-Treating to plan and price out a Christmas Eve menu. Next, I made a list of gifts I plan to procure for my daughter, my family, my husband’s family, my daughter’s teachers, and anyone else on whom my family wants to bestow holiday cheer. But in the age of tariffs, making holiday magic happen just got even more stressful for moms like me. Yep, tariffs are the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back by making my mental load feel like an elephant sitting on my forehead.
If you’re not familiar with the concept of “Mental Load,” the Cleveland Clinic offers the following (rather cheeky) explanation: “The heavy weight of the ever-running to-do list in our heads. Our constant worries about how we’re stacking up. The planning and decision-making we do all the live-long day.” In short, it’s the sort of invisible labour that is still, all too often, done by moms.
Staying on budget while spreading holiday cheer is quite the chore – and it’s particularly complicated in the current economy. And even in 2025, shopping remains highly gendered labour. Research shows around 78 per cent of women globally are their households’ primary food shopper. That number climbs to 80 per cent for women with kids. But don’t worry, women also get to do the majority of holiday gift shopping! When tariffs are indeed making things more expensive for consumers, keeping your family on budget without sacrificing the magic is enough to drive anyone over the edge!
Of course, the mass consumption of the holidays comes with its own issues. It is implicated in so many of the world’s problems, from climate change to cluttered houses. And sure, it is possible – even preferable – to opt out of purchasing new goods as gifts.
One can certainly procure handmade or second-hand gifts for one’s loved ones this holiday season. Presenting your mom with a scarf you knitted yourself or scouring Value Village locations to secure the perfect gently used doll house are valid options. While such options are as good for one’s pocketbook as they are for the environment, they also force moms to put in even more effort to make the holidays happen.
So, what is the solution? While an end to tariffs would certainly make things easier for moms, it looks unlikely. Besides, even a peaceful resolution to a trade war won’t solve the problem of archaic gender roles that compel moms to create a disproportionate amount of festive cheer.
If you yourself are not a long-suffering mother making the holidays happen, you can do your part by offering someone’s mom (maybe even your own!) a helping hand. You’ll spot us easily because we are the ones running ourselves ragged, price-comparing cranberry sauces for Christmas dinner or finding affordable gifts for each night of Hanukkah.
It’s time for those who benefit from holiday magic to stop taking it for granted. This year, let’s all knit someone a sweater, brave the mall, or price compare ingredients at the farmer’s market. Holiday celebrations are fun for the whole family, so they should really be the whole family’s responsibility.
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