[3][4] The Independent journalist Joe Sommerlad traced supporters' philosophy back to the 1899 text The Theory of the Leisure Class, which argued that consumerism was left over from the feudal era and should be discontinued.

[8] Various gatherings and forms of protest have been used to draw attention to overconsumption: Beginning in the 1990s, Adbusters produced a commercial promoting Buy Nothing Day.

[15] Kalle Lasn, the co-founder of Adbusters, questioned why MTV was comfortable airing gangsta rap and sexualized videos, but would not run the ad.

[12] In 2001, Slate advertising critic Rob Walker opined that Adbusters shouldn't "suddenly change their convictions" following the September 11 attacks, but should consider airing a new ad, especially in light of the "world that could die" language.

Shortly after, Lauren Bercovitch, the production manager at Adbusters Media Foundation, publicly embraced the principles of Occupy Xmas, advocating "something as simple as buying locally—going out and putting money into your local economy—or making your Christmas presents".

[24] In 2001, during the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Adbusters encountered an increase in opposition to Buy Nothing Day, with some Americans believing that consumerism was critical to rehabilitating the US economy.

[17] That year, the director of communications for the National Association of Manufacturers called Buy Nothing Day "a very bad idea" and accused it of being "a protest against modernity".

[25] In 2012, Andrew Simms published an opinion piece in The Guardian arguing that abstinence-focused movements fail and that the economy was already suffering from too little demand, instead advocating that people buy better-quality goods.