Mumsnet Talk

My heart just sank as I just watched the Christmas ad for Littlewoods on television showing children singing at the Christmas play : - "who bought the Xbox under the tree (plus lots of other gifts of course) ...... my lovely mother!!" Yes - My lovely mother!!
This is followed by a voiceover telling YOU to get them what they want at Littlewoods!!

What are they thinking?
They have certainly lost all sense of the spirit of Christmas. Is this a new type of corporate social responsibility that we aren't aware off? Lets tell the kids that its all mums work? Isn't life tough enough for so many without taking away every morsel of magic, mystery and fun?

Help start a petition to convince them that this ad is such a huge mistake?

I look forward to some suggestions to ensure fast action. I certainly don't want my children watching TV in case this ad re-appears again.

Its a long 55 days until Christmas... so please please help and join in this request. If you haven't seen it watch it with your seven year old and see how it makes you feel then.

this ad has been running for weeks on capital radio and I really despair every time it comes on. i think the message they're sending out is absolutely disgusting, 'mummy is only good if she gets everybody what they want AND gets into debt doing it'

I really feel we don't have to sit back on this one! Its the first time I have ever felt this strongly about an ad campaign.
We can let them know.

I have no idea how to start an e-petition but I would definitely back and promote any campaign against these ads

same here, I would back any campaign against these ads, they're absolutely ridiculous!

My 10 year old dd heard it and was like said that she was sad it made it sound like mum's could get anything.

Just been speaking to the ASA Advertsing Standards Authority. They have been excellent - you can log onto their site and enter the time you heard the Littlewoods ad , which station or channel and your comment.
Its so easy - ASA.org.uk - please do this now.

I wonder if 'mum' uses her child support payments to fund this annual Christmas spending spree

I don't much care about the myth thing - surely most children believe that FC brings some presents and family/friends buy others? If not you'd have to ban every ad showing shopping or parcels or wrapping.

However, the ad is horrible so I'm in agreement . But I thought Bupcakes had started a campaign already, didn't she have a FB group too? Or am I dreaming about MN again?

Hidden home: I wonder if 'mum' uses her child support payments to fund this annual Christmas spending spree

What? Yes, I imagine most women who's ex partners pay child support may be using some of it a Christmas time. They may also be using their wages, tax credit payments, lottery wins and the change they find behind the sofa. What's your point ?

It's a horrible advert. I'm against consumerism and the pressure that the media place on parents at Christmas, the Littlewoods advert encourages parents to get into debt in order to fund presents. This shouldn't be what Christmas is about.

Thing is i don't watch enough terrestrial telly to see the advert - but I will keep an eye and ear out to log it though. Thanks for the link.

The belief that there is man with a big white beard on the north pole employing elves to make presents is absurd. It has nothing to do with the REAL spirit of Christmas. Why fill your children s brains with such shit? Maybe it really is time for a change, to advocate generosity and kindness.

Not x boxes and crap.

If Littlewoods and John Lewis wants realism, they should actually try and stick to that, and not a caricature of our society.

WHOSE ffs <slaps self>. Sorry, as you were.

Consumerism aside, im pissed off that what would probably have been the last year my 8yr old DS believed in father christmas has been ruined by this stupid ill thought out advert.

If I was going to buy anything in Littlewoods, I wont be now.

"The spirit of Christmas" is not about Santa Claus magically bringing presents. If that's the only "magic, mystery and fun" that you see in Christmas then I think you may be missing the point.

I'll agree that the commercialism and the message that mums are only any good if they are coughing up presents on demand are fairly negative, but hey its a commercial company pressing you to buy their stuff, so what do you expect?

But the "magic" of Christmas is about religion, not Santa. If you don't believe in it, that's up to you of course, but please don't expect a huge amount of respect for your totally-made-up alternative "religion" about Christmas and what it means to children. If Littlewoods can't manage any respect for a genuine-religion meaning of Christmas, I'm not sure why you'd think they ought to feel your outrage.

Well said, AMuminScotland.

but please don't expect a huge amount of respect for your totally-made-up alternative "religion" about Christmas and what it means to children

What, as opposed to the fact based christian one? which was 'adapted' from the Pagan feast of the son of Isis?

Few people realize that the origins of a form of Christmas was pagan & celebrated in Europe long before anyone there had heard of Jesus Christ

No one knows what day Jesus Christ was born on. From the biblical description, most historians believe that his birth probably occurred in September, approximately six months after Passover. One thing they agree on is that it is very unlikely that Jesus was born in December, since the bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night. This is quite unlikely to have happened during a cold Judean winter. So why do we celebrate Christ's birthday as Christmas, on December the 25th?

The answer lies in the pagan origins of Christmas. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25 Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast

Its all had bits added to it over the years and Father Christmas/Santa/St Nicholas is part of that.

It means different things to different people...all are valid.

an eight year old's belief ruined by an advert?

There's this other magical thing - the off switch.

It' a fairly hideous advert but actually, no-one is obliged to watch it.

The belief that there is man with a big white beard on the north pole employing elves to make presents is absurd

Well thats actually quite believable for small children not absurd at all.

Lots of people think the idea of the virgin birth is absurd but if thats what you want to believe...your choice.

yes but it isn't real. It's lovely that the children believe it, but it isn't real.

There are adverts everywhere promoting spending at christmas - that's just how it is.

But you don't have to watch them, or make your children watch them.

Nothing about christmas is real though, its all based on beliefs.

Some children believe in Father Christmas.

Some adults believe Jesus was the son of God.

Each to their own.

I didnt make my son watch the advert, he saw it once and that was enough.

I'm not remotely religious, but, if it weren't for the belief in jesus as the son of God there wouldn't actually be a Christmas.

And there is a vast difference between believing in God and having a faith, which although many do not believe cannot be proven or disproven one way or the other, and the belief in father Christmas which is categorically not real.

Religion is very real for millions of people. FC is only real to children because we make it so. all children will grow out of the belief at some point.

It is IMO pretty offensive to make comparisons between the two.

Yes the difference is that adults who believe in Jesus, or other religions, teach their children it because they believe it to be real. Parents who teach their children to believe that the most important aspect of Christmas is Santa Claus are telling them a story which they do not themselves believe.

You can't construct something you know to be untrue, and then decide to feel outraged because others do not go along with your fiction.

Actually I don't even expect adverts to go along with religious beliefs either. My point is if they don't see any reason for showing respect for that, why would you expect them to show respect for your personal explanations about Santa? It's not as if there is even one consistent "Santa story" - many parents who "do" Santa still give most of their presents from the parents, and only a small number (eg the stocking) from Santa. So that version of the story is still safe from the horrors of the Littlewoods advert!