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No matter what the rest of 2020 has in the cards for humanity, one thing is certain: the winter holiday season will happen, no matter what. How the holidays will be celebrated, however, remains uncertain, especially for retailers as they adjust to new consumer values and needs brought on by the pandemic.
A recent webinar “Rethinking the Holidays” hosted by Fashion Snoops’ VP of home and interiors Jaye Anna Mize and home and interiors editor Amanda Farr, in partnership with Messe Frankfurt’s Christmasworld and vendors of the trade show, offered a glimpse at what’s to come for home and holiday goods and décor, and how new realities will drive consumers to look for fewer yet more meaningful products.
The new realities
The emotional toll of the pandemic will weight heavy on the 2020 holiday season, which is already a time of year known to trigger depression and anxiety. Though the pandemic has opened the door for new ways to communicate, it has also cancelled many of the ways milestones are celebrated, forcing people to be creative (and flexible) with Zoom weddings, backyard graduation ceremonies and drive-by birthday parades.
The novelty factor of these social distancing stopgaps, however, may wear thin during the month-long holiday social calendar that would traditionally be filled with parties, gift exchanges, family dinners and New Year celebrations.
And the notion of thousands gathering for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or that Times Square will be packed to the gill this year on New Year’s Eve, seems impossible as New York City remains partially shut down four months out from the holiday season. Likewise, experts expect to see Europe’s famous Christmas markets, where locals and tourists traditionally shop for decorations, hand-knitted garments and specialty foods, shuttered this year, further crippling vendors that had to cancel Easter and Oktoberfest markets because of to the coronavirus.
To counteract, Helmut Schmidt, managing director of Weihnachtsland, a Christmas decorations manufacturer, expects to see more local governments and businesses ramp up their public decorations this year. “Cities will invest in decorations to make their places feel more festive. It’s for their residents to feel good,” he said.
Consumers will take...