Secret Santa, stockings and presents under the tree - gift-giving is at the heart of Christmas Day. But should it be? This year more people have been exploring underconsumption - the trend where shopping hauls and miracle must-buys are replaced with reusing beloved possessions and purchasing less. It's taken off on TikTok, where mentions soared by almost 40,000% in the UK earlier this year.
Experts say it's resonated with younger people affected by the cost-of-living crisis and concerned about the climate as they look to make sustainable changes. But can you mix that lifestyle with a time of year many people associate with overspending and indulgence? Underconsumption means buying fewer unnecessary things and making the products you already own go further. It might not sound that radical, especially if you're used to stretching your weekly budget.
"It's highlighting a behaviour that's quite normal," author and creator Andrea Cheong tells BBC Newsbeat. "But in the realm of TikTok or Instagram it feels so unnatural it's gone viral." On platforms built around ads and glamourised lifestyles the hashtag stands out, and Andrea does believe that underconsumption is different because "it's a habit, not a trend.
" "The people who are sharing what they've done in their daily lives, they've been doing this forever," she says. "They were probably taught by their parents to do it." At Christmas, choosing to buy and consume less can feel like a challenge in the face of big-budget marketing .
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