I think lots of people who are well-off and especially those who also grew up well-off don’t feel the need for a big WOW Christmas morning.
The Christmas season might involve lots of special outings and meals with friends and family and there might be some gifts from some of them too, and Christmas Day involves gifts, but there doesn’t have to be a big pile or huge wow for it to be special and an important day. That’s because life generally is pretty good. There’s no hard times to compensate for, with a big binge of gifts and food and drink which is way beyond the normal experience. So well off families might regularly have nice days out to the theatre through the year, go for meals and buy expensive items as needed and wanted. Yes, that’s not the same as having a number of gifts on Christmas Day, but often there just doesn’t feel the need for that particular aspect.
As some people have said, being well off means being able to do those things and choosing to spend without careful budgeting for and totalling the cost and without debt. It’s about spontaneously being able to say yes to a theatre visit, or seeing a florist and buying a £50 bunch of flowers to take to some famiky you’re visiting later that day. Knowing the kids have holidays and nice clothes and do plenty of activities which cost, and have money available for education related things (whether that’s school fees, or tutors if needed, or just lots of revision resources etc) often means a big splash and ‘proving yourself’ or being able to say ‘yes’ to requests about Christmas, just isn’t a big deal.
And it’s often not such a big deal to the kids either. So, when you spend much of the year feeling other kids have got stuff you haven’t (whether that’s reality or just a perception) it’s easy for stuff to become really important to kids. That could be trainers of electronic devices and gaming equipment, or flash designer bags or whatever. It all becomes a way of showing your worth and value in a world which feels like it measures success and money in terms of the price of goods. When you’re lacking, conspicuous spending, or labels which shout ‘high price’ can feel important. And if kids feel like they ask for that stuff and are often told ‘no’ or ‘only at Christmas’ then those things become more important or Christmas becomes associated with that time if lavishness, plenty and partly about showing others what you’ve been given. Or for oarents, about showing others what you can give your kids.
Most well off people probably couldn’t tell you what they’ve spend on Christmas. They don’t know what amount has gone in gift or on food or on days out. That’s because some was spent a while ago and also because it just doesn’t matter. They have plenty of cash, they have bought what they fancied (and that might not be as much stuff as lots of people who have less money) and they aren’t worried about the impact the amount of spending will have now or next month or so in the future. So they’ve spent and forgotten about it.
Sometimes, when rhe Jan credit card bull arrives, we’ll off people will be a bit surprised at how much they spent (or sometimes how little) but usually they just pay the bill as usual and move on. Some well-off people might choose to have a ‘frugal’ month after Christmas, but that might involve some fairly light level reductions, which might happen alongside some other big spending such as booking summer holidays, or paying for something expensive like a term of school fees or uni accommodation, or work in the house or whatever. It’s unlikely to be that choices are made between food and heat or food and heat vs paying off the credit card, or starting to save for next Christmas via savings stamps or something else.
Freedom to spend without having to think much about it, I. Terms of impact now or in future is a big difference. It’s a great luxury that those that have it often forget.