When Kerry Johnson turned 50 this year, she expected lighthearted birthday promotions or travel deals. Instead, the first ad that appeared for her was for a medical alert device — a product she had never imagined being targeted with.

“I’m getting Life Alert calls, and it makes no sense,” said Johnson, a senior vice president at a communications firm who divides her time between Oregon and New York. “Our generation isn’t old. But advertisers seem to think we are already halfway into retirement.”

As the holiday shopping season accelerates, Johnson has been paying close attention to ads, hoping to see something designed with Generation X in mind. But the more she watches, the more she notices an obvious gap: brands appear to be marketing to everyone except Gen X.

Her frustration echoes a broader sentiment among many Gen X consumers. Despite their strong spending power, retailers continue to focus heavily on younger groups — millennials and Gen Z — especially as mall traffic declines and online shopping becomes dominant.

This oversight is puzzling when considering who is poised to spend the most this season. According to a TD Bank report, 72 percent of Gen X consumers — those ages 45 to 60 — expect to overspend during the holidays, a higher proportion than either millennials or Gen Z. Their financial responsibilities stretch across generations as well: many support aging parents, adult children who have moved back home, and young relatives who still expect gifts.

For Johnson, holiday spending has only increased as her children’s wish lists evolve into higher-ticket items like electronics. She spent nearly $5,000 last year on gifts and travel and expects to reach a similar figure this year.

Yet public companies seem more concerned with younger demographics. A review of corporate earnings calls shows that 290 U.S. companies mentioned Gen Z this year, while only 41 mentioned Gen X, according to AlphaSense. Even in influencer marketing, only 5 percent of spending is directed at Gen X — despite the fact that 92 percent of them use social media daily and more than a quarter of TikTok users belong to this age group, according to the retail association ICSC.

Generation X, once again, is drifting into the role of America’s “forgotten generation.”

Tom McGee, president and CEO of ICSC and a Gen X-er himself, said the trend doesn’t surprise him. “Aside from the occasional movie referencing the 1980s, you don’t hear much about us,” he said. “We end up feeling overlooked, and it would be nice to be acknowledged.”

Retail experts say the neglect is partly due to demographics. Gen X is smaller than the generations that came before and after. Their life circumstances also vary widely — some are caring for teens, others are empty nesters, and many are balancing elder care — making them harder to target with unified messaging.

But ignoring Gen X could be a costly misstep. A major intergenerational wealth transfer is expected to benefit Gen X significantly over the next decade, averaging $1.4 trillion annually in inherited assets, according to Cerulli Associates. The group is also known for strong brand loyalty, particularly when advertising taps into nostalgia.

“In many ways, Gen X is the connective tissue of the consumer market,” said Jason Dorsey, generational researcher and co-author of “Zconomy.” “They influence both older and younger generations, which makes them unusually important.”

Despite inflation concerns, Gen X shoppers plan to give high-value gifts this year, particularly experiential ones. TD Bank reports that 36 percent of Gen X consumers intend to give experience-based gifts such as trips, shows or special events.

For Julie Murphy, a 53-year-old lawyer from Holliston, Massachusetts, meaningful experiences matter more than items. Over the years, she has gifted Disney trips, Broadway tickets and even airfare contributions to bring loved ones together. She has spent over $1,000 on such gifts in recent years and intends to continue, even with rising prices.

This season, an ad inspired her to buy “Disney on Ice” tickets for her nephew and his wife — an experience she knew would delight them even though it didn’t appeal to her personally. But the ad also made her wonder whether brands consider her generation relevant at all.

“I get hundreds of promotional emails a day, and none of them feel like they’re talking to me,” Murphy said. “I don’t think brands are trying very hard to reach Gen X this holiday season.”

Beth Peters, 46, still cherishes her long-standing Black Friday tradition of in-store shopping with her mother-in-law in Toledo, Ohio. Having grown up spending weekends at the mall, she enjoys the nostalgia of browsing stores during the holidays. She also notices that her generation continues to value physical shopping experiences, in contrast to her Gen Z children, who prefer to shop online whenever possible.

“We’re nostalgic,” said Peters, a middle school instructional coach and high school softball coach from Fort Wayne, Indiana. “We like things that remind us of childhood — that’s a huge part of what still draws us into stores.”

Johnson shares a similar hope: that at least one brand will create something that genuinely resonates with Gen X — something that doesn’t treat them as elderly or overlook their cultural influence.

“We’re still shaping trends, and we’re absolutely young enough to fall in love with a brand that understands us,” Johnson said. “Retailers are missing out on a huge opportunity with Gen X.”