In the distant past the world didn’t celebrate Cyber Monday in the way we do now. Back then, our most important consumer festivities occurred in late December, and went by a number of different names, depending on geographic location or religion. Preparation for these festivities typically lasted months and what’s fascinating to note is that back then people voluntarily spent large percentages of their annual income on gifts for friends and family, and for feasts, which were consumed during the period of celebration. It has been recorded that, during the early part of the 21st century, during peak decadence, households in parts of the world were spending as much as one quarter of their annual income on these once-a-year festivities.

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