Ralph Lauren Christmas: Branded Nostalgia

Fall is officially in full swing, and as the Halloween craze begins to pass by, the focus has begun to shift onto Christmas trends for this December. TikTok has decided that this year’s Christmas theme is “Ralph Lauren Christmas:” a nostalgic, red-and-green plaid cozy vibe. This supposedly elegant, old money aesthetic very closely resembles that of any average home during Christmas for the past few decades. The trend begs the question of whether or not we need to assign a consumerist label to every major holiday. 

The Branding of Nostalgia

The Ralph Lauren Christmas aesthetic consists of dark reds and greens, plaid and warm lighting. All of these traits have been present in nearly any average person’s home around the holidays for the last several decades, so why do we need to attach regular red and green to a brand? The internet obsession with branding and consumption has taken over in recent years, with many Christmasses overtaken by the beige craze and even more decorated under the notion of crafting a Pinterest-perfect holiday. 

It is only to be expected that we are now attaching brand names to a style that most families have used to celebrate the holidays for generations. For some reason, the idea of a nostalgic, vintage Christmas cannot exist on its own, but instead must be tied to a brand that sells $400 throw blankets. 

The Aesthetic War

On TikTok, many users have taken it upon themselves to dispute the Ralph Lauren Christmas aesthetic, combating with statements of adoration for their alternative, just as pre-packaged, Christmas styles. Forcing a holiday like Christmas into a stylistic box is constraining and completely unnecessary. Social media forces an illusion of consumerism over the holiday, when in reality each person’s Christmas decor should be a personalized collection built up over the course of many years and memories. 

Seasonal Sustainability

The annual rotation of seasonal trends makes it nearly impossible to decorate for an internet-approved Christmas every year. The basis of the Ralph Lauren Christmas aesthetic is built on the idea of slowly accruing a collection of quality heirloom pieces, so scrapping the beige or white minimalist decorations from the year before in favor of an Amazon haul is the antithesis of the design. 

Instead of ditching all decorations from previous years, consider enhancing your existing decor stash with new, vintage-inspired pieces. If you truly want to embody a Christmas fit for your grandmother’s house, then thrift and antique stores are excellent choices for unique pieces with character for much cheaper prices than Ralph Lauren. 

How do you feel about the early Christmas trends for this year? Let us know @VALLEYMag on Instagram!

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