Just stop all this crap buying?

Ffs everyone likes to eat a bit of chocolate at xmas *except you it seems

I bet it’s fun in your house on Christmas morning! Seriously though it is only one day 🎄🎄

They cancelled the work Christmas party this year. So instead couple of co worker are arranging secret santa maximum £10 spend and no one is allowed to buy chocolate. But I wanted chocolate :(

Yeah, but this is not a simple issue is it? Every piece of tat is made by someone who takes a wage for making it. They use that wage to feed their children etc.
Im not saying I agree with buying plastic rubbish, but if we all stop, people will starve. The whole world economy needs resetting and there may just be too many of us.

Yes, totally agree with you. We are being brainwashed and buying loads of crap from China and eating loads of ultra processed food because of the Christmas adverts telling us to do so. We need to stop this nonsense.

The thing I hate is ‘novelty’ presents. Things that you are supposed to open, laugh at and then put in bin or charity bag.
My house is full of decorations but they at least 20 years old. Even the tree. I exchange a gift with my bf but the rule is it MUST come from the charity shop. Our work secret Santa allows charity shop stuff too.

The thing that my DF used to like in his older age was a ‘hamper’ of goodies that he couldn’t get himself. I used to go to M&S and get nibbles, chocolate, wine and jars of curry sauce/soups/ fruit in alcohol. He looked forward to it. Consumables are best IMO if you don’t know what to get.

I agree with you, chocolate is something edible and not tat.
I’ve read an article recently that 70 % or so plastic crap for Christmas ends up in landfill.
My children are now teens so I can avoid buying them loads of pointless things that noone needs, everybody has a list we can choose items from.

Id hardly call chocolate crap. One of the best things ever made in my opinion.

And that's why I said no to secret santa.

While you do seem a tad puritanical about Xmas I do agree about the consumerism, there are so many threads:
'what can I buy dh who has everything?'
'what can I buy my nan who's 90, has expressed that she doesn't need or want anything but I insist on buying something?'
How about nothing, or a small box of chocolates so it can be consumed, or a trip away, just not more stuff for the sake of it?

I’m sure the shops are happy to sell all of this crap. Imagine how high prices would be, and how many people would be out of work, if they didn’t get an annual boost.

Are you ok?

My family were one of the first ones to say no to Christmas presents.
There is no need to waste time, money and stress on buying presents for your DD’s fiancé ‘s gran. You are not related to her.

Also many presents smack imho didn’t think - toiletries sets - esp Lynx for men and Dove for ladies. Then you wonder did you get lumbered to receive the ‘free’ one in the 3 for 2.

There is no need to buy unnecessary decor or accessories. I saw a Christmas wall clock the other week and thought - why? I believe it was The Range or H&M Home.

Also the big food shop before Christmas, think with meal plans. Do you really need to buy 32 pints of milk and 14 loaves of bread? I worked in a supermarket for years. Saw customers who had 24 pints of milk and 13 loaves of bread unloaded onto the checkout belt . Then the customer’s OH comes with an extra 2 4 pint bottles of milk and another loaf. The first customer (usually male) asks their OH they already have enough milk and bread. OH says it’s for just in case. In case of what? If you can’t answer the question, don’t buy it.

I wonder how much of the excess milk and bread gets consumed?

While I agree with what you are saying maybe leave out Martin Lewis as he is of a religion which does not celebrate Christmas anyway!

Since when are sweets and chocolates considered tat? It’s not like she was buying cheap plastic shite that’ll either break in 2 mins, be used once or not even have a use…

I love Christmas but I fucking hate Secret Santa. What exactly is the point? You get a crap gift from someone you hardly know, having bought an equally crap gift for someone you can't stand. It's banned at my current workplace. My being the boss has nothing to do with this. Instead, we all put a tenner in a kitty every month and then go out in December and get rat-arsed have a really nice meal.

People enjoy it. You do you.

The pressure on folk to spend beyond thier limit, to buy presents for family/friend simply because it's the correct thing to do, to fill your lounge to grotesque proportions to show how much you love your children, cram as much food and treats into every space available for literally one day,then gorge to use it. Its been blown totally out of proportion. Myself and hubby book a static near the sea,enjoy our beach walks with our two dogs and eat lasagne or similar for Christmas day.....no stress,no standing over a cooker all day,no over stimulated children......and no decs to take down and replace into dusty boxes to place back into the loft for another year
Happy days....enjoy☺️☺️🐶🐶 falaa lalaaa laaa 🎄

Jellycatspyjamas

Why can’t you sit down with some chocolate throughout the year? That doesn’t make sense. I love Christmas and appreciate time with family and friends, but it’s far from the only time I get to rest and relax with loved ones.

I’ve 4 kids and a 30 plus hour retail job where I work Saturdays,and Sundays every second week or one the other week. Mum lives an hour and a half away rest of family far away . Dh and i pretty much work opposite each other. Generally when I get to sit down I fall asleep. I know my life has to change but at the moment nothing’s budging (applying for jobs and asked manage to lower hours but she isn’t).

This is why I only buy for close family.
Dnieces and nephews get vouchers so they can buy what they need.

I do like to get my cat a wee Christmas treat though, always a good time to bring in a new catnip toy.

nah I'll pass thanks! Tree is going up today the elf is bringing all manner of tat for the kids for the 1st, I'm talking slime, pj's, advent calendars, a HUGE 1kg bag of xmas themed jelly sweets & crafts! Then tomorrow we are taking them to see the lights and get a grinch McDonalds! Then on xmas eve they get another box of shit to keep them busy for the day and a big old pile of presents on the day! And I have a pile of sweets, crisps, nuts, chocolate and 'fancy' drinks that is quite frankly obscene, which we will thoroughly enjoy over the 2 weeks we actually get to spend together as a family for the only time all year!

Don't buy if you don't want to simple! But leave others to do what they like. 🤷🏻‍♀️

i agree we need growth, but not from mindless consumption… Such activity might technically increase GDP but it doesn’t make anyone’s lives better in any meaningful way, quite the opposite in fact. GDP is a very blunt instrument for assessing economic wellbeing.

We need the type of growth that adds value and increases productivity, allowing people to live happier, healthier lives, not the type of growth that is a result of pointless and futile activity that simply moves cash around the economy but achieves nothing other than artificially increasing a GDP figure, deluding ourselves that we are getting richer the process!

I’ve just seen a facebook advert for Christmas Eve boxes for pets - seriously, I can’t get my head around that at all. I love my pets but what the actual fuck.