Begin today’s lesson by generating a discussion with your teens about the rise of consumerism during the holidays, using the questions below as a starting point.

We’re about a month into the holiday season now, which means the hundreds of millions of dollars spent around the globe on advertisements have already made their way into our psyche in preparation for this season of gifting.

Whether we like it or not, marketing departments are getting smarter ever year, devising better ways to worm their products into our shopping carts. And this year is no different, as the anticipation of giving and getting gifts is building with each day we cross off the calendar. One such way anticipation is built is through unboxing videos. 

• In your experience, what is an unboxing video? (Allow teens who are familiar with these videos to explain their content.) 

The popularity of unboxing videos has exploded in the last few years. The genre’s flagship channel, Unbox Therapy, is currently sporting over 24.8 million subscribers. 

• For those of you who have seen Unbox Therapy’s videos, why do you think they are so popular? What do you like/dislike about them? (Answers will vary, but they may fall into two camps: those who think the videos present harmless information about upcoming products, and those who think they feed into the rampant consumerism of their generation.) 

Let’s take a look at one of their short unboxing clips.

Play the following short clip for your students: Have You Heard of These Headphones? 

While unboxing videos like these have been around for years, they continue to be popular. Why? This is likely because of “Our inherent curiosity to know what’s inside a box and the build-up of excitement for a new product drive the popularity of an unboxing video…  The best unboxing influencers feature no tricks, gimmicks or sleights of hand. Potential consumers see the product as intended, and the content creator provides genuine feedback. And, to top it all off, all this valuable information is free to the consumers!”

In a digital age with unparalleled advertising exposure, we see so many product placements every day—many of them without even realizing we’ve been subjected to them. 

• Do you think this exposure changes our behavior around Christmas? Does it pull focus away from the true meaning of the holiday? Why or why not? (Give your class the chance to discuss these questions as a group, facilitating the conversation when necessary.) 

Today, we’ll dig into the true reason for Christmas and see how those who experienced it firsthand responded to the news of a Savior.