A viral Instagram video by Ashlee Patterson, known online as @lifeintheashlane, has seems to have joined a new wave of digital resistance — this time aimed squarely at America’s most sacred retail season.
“Christmas is cancelled,” Patterson declares in the opening line of her now widely shared post. But unlike the culture-war rhetoric that phrase often carries, her call is rooted in economic protest, not ideology.
“We are not canceling Christmas because we can’t afford to take care of the children we created,” she says in the clip. “We are canceling Christmas so the powers that be can learn very quickly that we cannot be played with.”
A Holiday Boycott With a Message
Patterson’s video, which has gained traction across multiple platforms, comes on the heels of the ‘Mass Blackout’ campaign — a weeklong economic boycott from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2, 2025 — also being promoted by activist Ashley B (@ashleytheebarroness).
That movement calls for Americans, particularly Black consumers, to refrain from spending money with major corporations during the peak of the U.S. shopping calendar: Thanksgiving week, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.
But Patterson’s spin on the message — “cancel Christmas” — gives the campaign a more emotionally charged punch. She connects personal sacrifice with collective leverage, urging people to view restraint not as deprivation, but as defiance.
“When you go out Christmas shopping, you are putting your underpaid, hard-earned dollars into the pockets of Fortune 500 companies,” Patterson warns. “Then they take that money and fund the campaigns of politicians that have been playing in our faces all year.”
Her words echo a broader frustration: that American consumers, especially working-class and minority communities, are financing both the corporations that underpay them and the politicians who ignore them.
If We Take Away Our Dollar, They Will Feel It
Patterson’s video directly links consumer behavior to political accountability. She argues that withholding dollars can force both corporations and lawmakers to act — a modern adaptation of the tactics used during the Civil Rights era’s economic boycotts.
“If we take away our dollar, they will feel it,” she says. “Those companies will call the politicians they put in power and say, ‘Hey, stop with the shit. We’re losing money.’ And either the politicians will make some stuff happen — or they’ll lose their funding.”
That message has resonated with viewers disillusioned by 2025’s political climate — a year marked by rising inflation, cuts to social programs, and fierce debates over economic inequality.
A Digital Echo of Historical Protest
The growing “Blackout the System” movement, verified by outlets like Snopes, traces its roots to similar economic activism earlier in 2025, led by groups such as The Take It Back Movement. Organizers argue that withholding spending, even for a week, can demonstrate how much economic weight marginalized communities hold in America’s financial system.
It’s a concept with historical precedent. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott of the 1950s to Operation Breadbasket in the 1960s, targeted economic withdrawal has long served as a powerful form of protest — one that hits systems of power where it hurts most: the bottom line.
However, economists remain divided. While symbolic protests can raise awareness, measurable impact often depends on scale.
“A short-term boycott won’t crash the system,” notes one policy analyst, “but it can send a strong signal about consumer consciousness — and that, over time, changes corporate behavior.”
The Economics of Self-Respect
Patterson’s “Christmas is cancelled” statement isn’t about Grinch-like rebellion; it’s about economic self-respect. Her message reframes generosity — not as consumption, but as conscious choice. In an era where social influence drives spending habits, her call to resist those pressures feels both radical and deeply personal.
For many, the holidays symbolize joy and togetherness. For Patterson, they now also represent a test of awareness — a moment to decide whether participation in consumer culture equals complicity in one’s own exploitation.
“Kindness, family, and faith don’t need receipts,” she wrote in a later comment. “If we want change, it’s time to stop paying for our own oppression.”
Whether “canceling Christmas” becomes a widespread act of protest or a fleeting social trend remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: a growing number of Americans are starting to connect their wallets to their politics — and their silence to their power.
