When Holidays are in Motion: Why Marketers Need to Rethink Their "Season of Sameness"

The holidays are supposed to feel familiar. But for a lot of people, they mark change.

The holidays are supposed to feel familiar. But for many people, they also mark change.

It might be the first year in a new city. The first year without someone. The first holiday with a new baby, a new partner, a new job - or a new reality altogether. Even the most "traditional" seasons sits on top of transition.

Life doesn't stand still, not even in December.

And yet, year after year, marketing leans on sameness: cheerful predictability, nostalgia, and "just like always" messaging. The visual shorthand rarely changes: big family tables, cozy lighting, predictable emotions. It's comforting, but it's also limiting. Because life doesn't stand still, not even in December.

Tradition isn't the whole story

Through a Life in Motion (TM) lens, we see how transitions (both planned and unplanned) shape not only what people buy but why they buy it.

For some, the holidays are a time to reconnect. For others, they're a test of endurance, a reminder of loss, or the start of a new chapter. These emotional realities don't cancel out "holiday spirit"; they complicate it.

And that complexity is where brands have room to show up with empathy and originality.

Change doesn't pause for the holidays

People still move, start new jobs, take on caregiving roles, and rethink relationships. The difference is that during the holidays, those shifts sit alongside rituals that promise constancy.

That tension, between what's changing and what feels steady, is what makes this season so revealing for marketers. The best campaigns find a way to honor both the emotional comfort of tradition and the recognition that not everyone's December looks the same.

Why it matters for brands

Marketers don't need to abandon tradition; they simply need to broaden it. Understanding who's in motion, and what kind of change they're navigating, opens new ways to connect in a season that's often reduced to sameness.

Instead of asking, "What does everyone celebrate?"

Ask, "What's changing in people's lives right now, and how can our message meet them there?"

That's where relevance lives - in understanding the emotional and practical realities behind the moment, not just the rituals around it.

Connection doesn't always come from repeating what's familiar. It comes from understanding what's changing - and building around that.

Understanding who's in motion and what they're navigating opens new ways to connect in a season of sameness.

We help brands make sense of consumers in motion.

If you're looking to uncover the moments of motion that drive real behavior during the holidays, and every day after, let's talk.

About Morning Light Strategy:  Morning Light Strategy is a boutique insights & advisory agency. We help brands find clarity when consumers are shifting, briefs are tricky, and the path forward isn't obvious. From menopause to identity shifts, caregiving to cultural change, we specialize in emotionally complex life transitions that reshape behavior.  

To learn more, visit: www.morninglightstrategy.com