Schools - Christmas jumper day - wear an Xmas jumper and raise £1 for charity

Brilliant 👌!

Yes. This. PTA bingo from Facebook, it's so true! And sometimes you get one person making all the complaints!

My child's school PTA do a swap shop so people donate outgrown jumpers and they sell for £1 to raise money for the school then children can donate £1 to charity but this is not mandatory, they can just wear the jumper for fun without donating. We also has several handed down for free and bought at charity shops when we didn't have the right size. As others said, you can just add tinsel or a decoration to a normal jumper. No big deal!

It’s not nasty, I’m pointing out that you said you didn’t want to pay £40 for two Christmas jumpers (which is much more expensive than the average supermarket one as it is) but you brush aside any suggestion of a more thrifty alternative because of apparent time issues.

This is odd because a lot of people order online to save time. Do you never order anything online? Shopping? Amazon supplies? Well popping on Vinted and getting a couple of secondhand Christmas jumpers really isn’t any different. You can even get them delivered to your door.

As for charity shopping, most of them make it easy at this time of year by having lots ready to go on a rail, and while it’s more time consuming than ordering online, they are open on weekends and you can even take your children in with you.

Or, since this isn’t a new concept and schools have been doing it for years, and you presumably have children that aren’t just going into reception now, you could always have grabbed a couple in last year’s sales to put away.

so I’m not really sure what you want out of this thread except for everyone to agree with you that buying Christmas jumpers is in poor taste, but the majority do not, because you absolutely don’t have to contribute to throw away fashion and spend a lot ££ doing it. You seem to want to martyr yourself over not being able to easily obtain a couple of jumpers or decorate a top with tinsel, and I just think it’s odd.

I hate any of the bring a £1 to school days. I’m glad both my older 2 DCs school don’t participate in most of them. But they do Xmas jumper day, eldest is in year 9 & refuses to wear a Xmas jumper so saves me some money but DC8 loves it.

Well, if they’re volunteers…🤷🏼‍♀️ they must’ve volunteered to do it!

I get you don't like it, but you know full well it comes every year and you have children who don't want to be the odd one out. So you buy secondhand or I'm advance in a larger size in the sale.
Don't then moan when it comes around again and you've not sorted it.

I know. It would just be easier to do nothing extra curricular at all. However, that would still lead to complaints!

DSs school has a jolly jumper day. The idea is to decorate a normal item of clothing to make it Christmassy. Everyone turns up covered in tinsel and baubles.

For world book day they also don't allow shop bought costumes. Everyone makes a prop out of cardboard from their favourite book and they guess each others book.

Massively refreshing after the DDs primary had a full blown costume/experience day/ workshop with actors that needed authentic costumes and a non voluntary donation of a fiver every single term. Slightly ironically the head is director of a recycled/planet friendly clothing company - but his 2 form entry school buys plastic Amazon clothes 3 times a year.

To be honest, whatever schools try to do, even when it’s supposed to be fun thing that raises money for charity, there will always be people who object. It’s a wonder schools bother at all.

I may have misread: the parenthesis suggests that she works with SEN children -

"Speaking as a single parent who is working full time, with SEN kids, I have enough shit to do without this.. and kids who don’t want to be the odd one out."

@WearyAuldWumman I don't think she specifically said her children.
But she gave the impression they are teens so if they are she will have had years of figuring out alternatives to jumpers.
This can't be a new thing for her.

OP has mentioned that her children have SEN and suffer from anxiety.

@WearyAuldWumman The impression given is that dc don’t really want a used jumper. Time is the excuse.

I find Save the Children Xmas Jumper day to be a bit like Cut Down a Tree in The Amazon to Support the Woodland Trust Day personally.

Has wearing the jumpers become compulsory since my children left primary school? I've never bought a Christmas jumper, my children wouldn't have worn one, I was happy to give the £1 but never found the need to get used to buying stuff I had no need for

Just don't do it if you don't want to

this is something you will have to get used to
trawl charity shops
or put tinsel/baubles on a jumper

I think the charities are to help people with even more struggles, aren't they?
Still, it's a free choice. Don't donate money if you don't want to.

Ours love Xmas jumper day and you can pick them up dirt cheap on vinted or on charity shops. People also choose to wear Xmas colours with a festive brooch or santa hat - the schools aren't that picky. You really don't have to spend £40 to participate imo

A school near me does this too. They have a rail in the playground at hometime with donated Christmas jumpers, hats etc.

Wash it. Make one. Get one from Vinted etc. Use hand me downstairs if applicable. Keep it for future years.

And "gouge" money out of you? It's £1 for a charity not £10 towards lazy boys for the staff room.

Or just opt out as it's totally optional. Preferably quietly.

Some people just aren't happy unless they've got something to moan about.

YANBU - I’m fed up of endless charities using schools as platforms for making money. Many parents are struggling enough as it is.

If you don't want your children to join in, that's fine. It's not compulsory. It's just a bit of fun at Christmas time, and the opportunity to give something to charity.
Lots of good suggestions for cheap ways to do it, but your choice.

Isn't it more that she loiks down on charity shops? 🤔