My credit card story? It began when I moved to Australia. At the time I was 28 and didn't have any need for a credit card in Germany but I thought it might be good to have one going down under. I didn't really use it there, it was more of a security-back-up-ticket-home thing.
Fast forward to the future - here in the US you have to have credit cards to get 'credit' e.g. to get a loan for a house. No credit card and showing that you can handle it and your f*cked. It still seems so bizarre to me. But yeah, these days I have my credit cards (yup, plural - you know for the good credit score...) on auto-pilotpay and pay attention to the statements.
Christmas spending? Well, I don't watch the news but I have a good imagination of what will be spent and - I don't understand why everything always has to be bigger, more expensive and - maybe - better. It's the world we live in.
Credit-scores are a thing here too. It used to be called credit-rating and was essential for lending as you say. It's a good way for creditors to force people into credit spending and it works a treat considering the credit debt in this country.
On the Christmas spending...Yeah, people are taught that they are lesser people if they don't have Christmases that look a certain way, as dictated to by corporations and those that market services and products. It's pretty disgusting really. Still, people have the choice and I, for one, choose a other path...many do not.