To be mildly, very mildly, miffed by this advert?

[FlyingPirates]

And yes, this is petty, and no this is not all I have to worry about!

Was sitting in traffic at commute time (as in, the time people would have picked up their DC's from nursery/day care/cm and be driving home with them in the car) and a advert omes on the radio.

It was about I want such and such for Christmas, who is going to get it for me...Mummy! And how lovely Mummy was for getting it for them (It was a song and cant remember the exact words) Then a little speil about how if we dont want to disapoint our darling children at Christmas then we can buy them what they want at cheap prices/ with this amazing deal.

Basically, I was a little annoyed that it was revealing to the DC that the fat man does not exist. Sure this is fine for older children but for children travelling home at that time who are young enough to still believe it could cause some awkward questions!

(And I know everyone does not celebrate Christmas/perpetuate the red man myth, but we do so I was a little bit annoyed!)

AIBU to think they could promote their Christmas goods without revealing the secret behind the magic for many young children?

(And even more annoyingly, I was miffed and thinking this over so I cant even remember that bloody company that was advertising!! )

[spiderpig8]

i find it bizarre when people choose to lie to their kids about FC, and then expect the whole world to do the same.
i remember some parents being a bit miffed when my then 5 yo Ds2 put his reception teacher right and told all his reception class that santa wasn't real and it was just your mum and dad.

[aldiwhore]

We're one of those families who works hrad to give Father Christmas present money and he decides if the boys have been naughty or nice, and delivers the gifts he believes they deserve... the boys also have a gift just from DH and I, and an 'elf made' gift from Father Christmas himself, usually its a bauble with their names on, or a 'genuine' reindeer bell, or something wooden. And in their eyes shit. So we're still top dogs!!

[Maisiethemorningsidecat]

It does parody the original song - which was just as irritating - but why not "Favver" doing the present buying? The rhyming is near enough for no-one to get upset about, surely?

Didn't Colleen I'm married to the arsehole Rooney front previous campaigns? Reason enough to boycott them completely from now on, I think.

[DesperatelySeekingPomBears]

"why is it only 'mother' who gets to do any of the Christmas present buying?"

Because 'mother' rhymes with 'brother' which was the original song?

[Fenouille]

Catgirl, that's exactly what I thought the first post was going to be saying. Not to say that the OP doesn't have a point, but why is it only 'Mother' who gets to do any of the Christmas present buying?

[porcamiseria]

fuck FC

the consumerism annoys me more! spoilt

[catgirl1976]

Oh and I REALLY hated the

"Mummy will be secretly racking up loads of catalogue debts just to keep up appearances at Christmas. Daddy doesn't know of course, he thinks the fairies sort everything out. IN fact - he will ask Mummy "What have we got my Dad then?" and think thats just fine. He only buys one present. Mummy's. If she's lucky it's a nice slow cooker! Yaay. Mummy will be having a nervous breakdown and turning to the gin in January when the bills come through, but still"

.....undertone it had.

Or that might just be me............

[catgirl1976]

I heard that too and I thought it was dreadful. Really grasping sounding kids.... bleurgh, not mention of Father Christmas. Horrible. I KNOW Christmas has turned into a big commercial spendfest and has been for ages, but I want to PRETEND it is magical and shiney.

[KatAndKit]

I thought that kids generally receive some presents from the fat man, along side some presents that have been purchased by family and delivered by the fat man. Otherwise why say thankyou to Nanny and Grandad and aunties and uncles for their presents if the fat man did it all?

Back in the 80s, my mother, in a desperate attempt to get us three to behave between xmas and new year, said that the fat man did not work for free. He would be sending his invoice to daddy on New year's day, and if we hadn't been good, daddy wouldn't pay it and the fat man would come and get the presents back.

Magic of Christmas??!!

[DesperatelySeekingPomBears]

Isn't it paraphrasing an existing song? 'My Brother' by Terry Scott?

And isn't the pronunciation 'muvver' because in the original song it was sung with a heavy accent? 'My bruvver'?

And isn't it slightly more worrying that Littlewoods are encouraging parents who perhaps can't afford the best toys this christmas to get into masses of catalogue debt that they'll be paying off for 2 or 3 years, rather than getting our knickers in a twist about destroying the illusion of FC?

Surely your children think you get them SOME presents at christmas? Why would it be alarming for them to hear that 'their muvver' buys christmas gifts?!

[Pixel]

Well it wouldn't have spoilt anything for my dcs as they've always known that Father Christmas only fills the stockings (and they are quite small stockings, not pillowcases), but it is still a truly horrible advert. I'll make sure I don't buy anything from Littlewoods for Christmas now - that'll larn 'em!

[FruitChute]

It wouldn't bother me. Santa gets whatever dd asks him for when she visits him and her stocking. Me and dh get her the rest. I thought it would be difficult to explain why gp, aunts and uncles etc got her stuff and we didn't if we said everything was from santa.

[Binfullofmaggotsonthe45]

I'm appalled by the tv advert - watched the long version. I know they want to appeal to a particular market but why chav up the pronounciations of the kids - my muvver??

Also voice over telling everyone that you can spread the payments and make life easier, but hey, don't forget to buy some random uncle a smart phone, and treat your other half to a designer watch.....

[MrBloomsNursery]

They actually say "mother"..not "mummy"

[vanimal]

Argh, I hate this advert too, but because mummy has a list of things as long as your arm to buy!

MyDDs are only aged 2 and 4, and are not the least bit bothered by presents. I hate that this advert makes them think that Christmas is all about materialism and presents - and I'm not even Christian! Grrr!

[Maisiethemorningsidecat]

Yes, and it can be viewed it all it's dubious glory thanks to the wonder of Youtube

[AgentZigzag]

Much better title FP

And I would of course answer -

'Is that all you have to worry about in your life?'

'Shouldn't this be in the Christmas section?'

and perhaps even,

'You think that's bad, my DCs killed FC last year'



YANBU though, anyone who fucks with Christmas should be forced to endure 24 hours of continuous Bazza Manilow at full volume.

[nickschic]

Its Littlewoods??? omg Ive directed my wrath at cash generators lol.

[Maisiethemorningsidecat]

That's it - Littlewoods! It irritates me so much that I wasn't really paying attention. I also remember thinking that our DCs wouldn't buy into the ad, because there is no way on this earth that Mummy would spend the many hundreds of pounds that they obviously do in very annoying Rapland (geddit?!)

[FlyingPirates]

AIBU to be shocked and appalled and mortified and shaking with rage with this advert that has ruined Christmas for my family?

[AgentZigzag]

Arf at very mildly miffed

Bring on some genuine outrage and you might get yourself a fight get more answers

[Merrylegs]

Yes. Yes! DD and I had just this conversation - we heard it on KISS (the only station the DCs will listen to ) and it's for Littlewoods - goes something like

'Who put the Xbox under the tree/ who put the laptop on Grandma's knee?/ My mummy!'

DD (11) and I were like .

'Well that's just killed the spirit of Christmas' were DD's words - sure she's sussed when it comes to Santa, but it was the grasping nature of the whole thing we found really crass.

Plus this kid's list of electronical gadgetry was as long as your arm - and mummy was going to get it all apparently. Hurrah!

[squeakyfreakytoy]

I think children should know from the earliest possible age that Father Christmas only delivers the presents.

[FlyingPirates]

I wasnt worried about the Mummy bit, just the 'parents buy the presents, not FC' bit

[nickschic]

cash generators.