The year is 2025; and here we go again: after almost two months of what seems to be non-stop advertisements for endless sales and a continuous onslaught of music in celebration of one of the holiest days for Christians around the world, there are people who believe that the true spirit and meaning of Christmas is lost in a vast sea of commercialism, profit, and continuously deepening divisions between people around the world — and I could not help but wonder if a similar sentiment can be analogous to the true spirit and meaning of travel…
The True Spirit and Meaning of Travel: What We Can Learn From Christmas 2025
…and the theme this year seems to be more about companies which quietly implement policies that are unfriendly to their customers — and with no advance warning or notice — such as the latest policy of Basic Economy tickets no longer earning AAdvantage miles or Loyalty Points with American Airlines just in time for the holiday season. The recent backpedaling of a policy by Chase with its Sapphire Reserve card being marketed that points that are used for booking reservations at its collection of Edit hotel properties are worth a Points Boost of double the value — again, with no notice or advance warning — is another of myriad examples.
Surprises are supposed to be good — especially when companies are in business to serve their customers. Companies typically cannot stay in business if they have no customers. Give a customer a reason to be angry, upset, or disappointed — especially when that reason is perceived to be unnecessary or superfluous — and that customer will likely go elsewhere to patronize a competitor with their business. Giving that reason in the form of a surprise usually only exacerbates the negative sentiment…
…which is ironic, given that part of the joy of this time of year is being surprised with gifts in the form of items, services, or experiences which the recipient welcomes with excitement.
Not all that long ago, I remember when the membership programs of travel companies offered a small free token of appreciation with no restrictions or special conditions — such as giving 100 miles or points for no other reason than thanking customers for being loyal; or giving a small gift for the holidays. Such a seemingly silly little gesture that costs almost nothing can potentially go a long way towards surprising and delighting a customer.
I challenge the membership programs of companies to engage in the true spirit and meaning of Christmas by surprising and delighting their members with a small gift as a tangible token of appreciation. I am not holding my breath; but the thought is nice. It certainly beats what seems to be an increasing trend of quietly changing policies that aggravate customers with no advance notice or warning.
Some Traditions to Consider for Christmas 2025
One tradition to remember your travels — if you do not already do it — is to pick up a small souvenir made in the country in which you travel and hang it on your Christmas tree every year. Every souvenir you hang on your tree will remind you of your travel to that particular country — as well as what you experienced and learned there. Admiring a tree such as that would eventually be like seeing the whole world at once…
…and if you do not have a tree or celebrate Christmas, the souvenirs can still serve as a purpose to remind you of your travel experience.
Then again, eating Christmas dinner from a can likely would not want be a new tradition you would ever want to adopt.
We need to be more respectful towards each other. We need to assist each other by sharing helpful information. We need to say please, thank you, and apologize when warranted, as I never thought of doing so as a sign of weakness. If conflict or criticism becomes necessary, do so constructively. We need to take the time and effort to give feedback. If a person who left a legitimate critical comment for me was willing to take the time and effort out of his or her day — even if it were only for a few minutes — to bother to give me feedback, then I feel honored. As I wrote in this article:
No one is perfect; and no company associated with travel is perfect either. Constructive criticism — which I absolutely invite from you pertaining to The Gate, by the way — is essential in helping the subject of that criticism to improve. If a person is willing to take the time to post positive or negative reviews instead of using that time on something else, then it should be appreciated. I have said it before multiple times — such as in this article — and I will say it again: Constructive feedback is a gift.
My day is truly brightened when I find out that an article which I wrote helps someone who reads it and that person takes the time to let me know. That is what writing a weblog should be about, in my opinion — helping, informing, and entertaining others.
Final Boarding Call
For some levity and to enjoy something a little different, please be sure to read the following fictitious articles which pertain to Christmas:
- If Santa Claus Traveled By Commercial Airline For Christmas — 2022 Edition
- A Fictional New York Christmas Story For 2021
Additional articles in this series include:
- The True Spirit and Meaning of Travel: What We Can Learn From Christmas 2024
- The True Spirit and Meaning of Travel: What We Can Learn From Christmas 2023
- The True Spirit and Meaning of Travel: What We Can Learn From Christmas 2021
- The True Spirit and Meaning of Travel: What We Can Learn From Christmas 2020
- The True Spirit and Meaning of Travel: What We Can Learn From Christmas 2019
- The True Spirit and Meaning of Travel: What We Can Learn From Christmas 2018
- The True Spirit and Meaning of Travel: What We Can Learn From Christmas 2017
- The True Spirit and Meaning of Travel: What We Can Learn From Christmas 2016
Although the miles and points of frequent travel membership programs can indeed be potentially valuable to being able to better afford travel; and while elite level status in a frequent travel loyalty program can result in enjoying the opulence of luxurious benefits and amenities — such as fine foods and creature comforts at theoretically no extra cost — they are not the reasons why I travel.
Regardless, some people who will do just about anything when a potentially lucrative deal is presented. There is a real adrenaline rush when considering the lengths some people will go to secure a deal — no matter how potentially lucrative it might be; and especially considering that the consummation of the deal may not be guaranteed — and such stories can be the foundations for interesting articles…
…but are miles, points and elite level status generally the commercialism equivalent of travel in recent years? As has been said by some people pertaining to the modern perception of Christmas, has the true spirit and meaning of travel become lost in the frenzy of taking advantage of that next great deal?
A lot can be learned from both Christmas and travel — I have already outlined some of the aforementioned benefits of both — and although perhaps some people may think that the time to do so is long overdue, it is never too late to start…
…and with that, I wish you a Merry Christmas 2025; a Joyous Chanukah 5786 even though it has already concluded; and safe travels to you for many years to come. May the conflict and divisiveness in the world diminish; and may we embrace a deeper understanding towards each other in the quest to work towards the world being a better place overall for everyone in which to live in peace…
All photographs ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
