"NO WHITE CHRISTMAS"

Everybody knows the Christmas Carol “White Christmas” which reaches this year the age of 70. The Spanish translation of “White Christmas” is “Blanca Navidad” and currently the source of a very popular word game difficult to translate. Instead of “Blanca Navidad” everybody speaks of “Navidad sin Blanca”, literally something like “no white Christmas” that really means “Christmas without money”. It’s easy to guess the origin o such a joke: 26% of unemployment (36% with no unemployment benefits), 3 million of public employees without Christmas allowance and frozen salaries for years and over 60% of workers whose gross salary is bellow 1.000 €, without forgetting new taxes on health, education, transport or justice services and the increase of TVA and income tax.

The lack of money will have a clear impact on consumption. This Christmas the average expenditure per person (514 €) will fall by 4% regarding 2011 and 38% comparing 2008 data. It’s expected that 191 € will go to food expenditure, 163 € to gifts (mostly for children), 82 € to the very traditional Christmas Lottery and 78 € to leisure activities.

The crisis will reduce the Christmas budget but also consumption patterns. On January the 6^th the most of the children will receive (cheaper) Christmas gifts from the Three Wise Men (they are much more popular than Santa Claus in Spain) but no adults.  There is no place to whims or surprises; this is the year of useful gifts such as clothes, shoes or household appliances that should be replaced. And something unthinkable until now: second hand gifts are welcome.  One of the “collateral damages” of the sharp decline of consumption is the closing-down of one out of four shops.

Happy New Year!

"Navidad sin Blanca" Christmas Carol