Just stop all this crap buying?

As posted on here earlier a daughter telling her mum she loves her dad more because he buys her more presents.

Sadly, not a new phenomenom, 20+ years ago I would hear conversations among pupils, one once said that she was lucky her parents were divorced because they had to match each other's spending, apparently she had told her father that her mother was spending £300 on her so he had to spend at least that!

Why is there a presumption that all gifts are “plastic tat destined for landfill”?

It is possible to buy a gift without it being rubbish.

It's not that simple though, is it? If the stuff you are buying is the product of forced and/or child labour, you are enabling that. Buy only things produced in your own country, preferably as local as possible, and let people in other countries do the same. The planet benefits, which means everyone does. There is no economic framework that makes forced labour, especially child labour, morally defensible.

I hope all the landfill tat warriors don't have children, don't own cars, never fly anywhere, never go on a cruise, ration water, grow there own food or source only locally grown produce, don't eat meat, never put the heating on etc, etc, etc...

And many, many people are highly suggestible to these constant messages, and will swear blind, that they are making free choices. To some extent we are all affected by this.

I completely agree with wasteful presents that are bought just for the sake of it rather than being truly thoughtful/useful to the person. I dont see anything wrong with buying chocolate/sweets as gifts if they are something the person receiving loves. Secret Santa is no problem as long as people are happy and excited to do it and dont feel obligated. I want to buy my DD a pair of christmas pj's to wear all of December but im not making her a whole box of things and I wont be doing the elf thing.

But I think for children especially there's really no harm in all these fun little things it creates magic for children and even for parents, that got lost in adulthood. It should just be about moderation overall. We are also going to 1 faurly cheap christmas event with a group of us but im not paying out for lots of different expensive activities because I dont think thats right. The same with Xmas food really ill be carefully selecting how much im buying/spending this year!

You really believe you buy seasonal shite because you’re freely choosing to do so? How naive. We all live in a world of powerful open and hidden messages that are intended to make us believe buying stuff will make us and others happy, we are frankly brainwashed into feeling that our elf on a shelf is a choice we freely make. It isn’t. Its the behavioural outcome of exposure to a zillion tiny messages you’ve been exposed to.

Oh, please, long before anyone had an idea about Christianity, there was a Yule celebration exactly because we need some cheering up at this time of year. Christianity just adopted it

and as for who is buying all the plastic tat… I’m looking at you, SiL

But is it just you that’s having fun? Like forced fun? Can’t imagine that it’s much fun for children not receiving at least one gift on Xmas morning. Sounds a bit joyless.

The question is what effect all that buying and giving is having on the environment. Are you giving gifts worth having and keeping, or throwaway gifts destined for landfill?

Why does buying shite give you joy?

It's loads of fun in my house on Christmas morning even when we don't give each other anything. There are many ways to have fun beyond the exchange of landfill tat.

I love chocolate! A world without chocolate would be a very miserable one….I pray for the day when scientists suddenly realise they’ve been wrong all along, and that chocolate is one of our five a day!

It IS depressing. And I don't think we can automatically say, "Well if that's what makes them happy they should be allowed to do it." Not if it's harmful to us all, they shouldn't! We can go back to making popcorn strings and having Christmas ornaments that we re-use for years on end, even generations. Does anyone need a new "elf on the shelf' every year?

Next OP will be claiming Die Hard isn’t a Christmas film…. 😪

Yes, and actually what's the point of marriage or relationships? We should all just live in our own dark cave for the duration of our adult lives and only come out to meet up at mating time then retreat back for foraging and a nap.

But you can do you, and let others do what they choose. Of course you’re entitled to your opinion, but to try to dictate what other people do is silly. I’m sure there are things you might prioritise/do that other people hate, but we’re all different aren’t we? …….

😂

I agree. I can live with the chocolate but the mindless buying of plastic landfill tat when the planet is already on fire is so depressing. Some people just can’t think beyond their own small world though or maybe they just don’t care

Totally agree!

Although as others have said, at least chocolate will be eaten and used up, unlike the rest of that tat which will be in landfill in January.

'admit you've been brainwashed from birth'

Wow so much anger!!

Your fairytale is my faith. I love Christmas. My family love Christmas. Not because I'm more stupid than you are, because I'm different from you.

You keep Christmas however you wish, but don't spend your time judging others for doing it differently.

On what planet is chocolate classed as"tat"???!!!!

It is winter. The pagan festival of yule helped brighten the winter months and Christmas is the modern equivalent.

It's rather patronising that you keep going on about "people not thinking for themselves" and "brainwashing" just because you have a different opinion. I am neither not not thinking for myself or brainwashed.

Speak for yourself - plenty of us enjoy a lovely Christmas without being ‘brainwashed’ into buying a load of excess tat.

You do what you want and let others do what they want. Live and let live and realise you can only control changing yourself and not other people.