To boycott the school Christmas jumper day?

[TheBigBumTheory]

I've just heard the glad tidings that our PTA has decreed that every child shall report to school on a certain date wearing a jumper that can only be worn for a few weeks a year and will not fit them next year. Oh and bring a pound to take part.

I am fairly anticonsumerist and dcs will not be taking part, I will happily donate cakes/chocolate to the Christmas fair and support the pta in other ways.

We have just ignored the superhero day for much the same reason-total waste of money for sweat shop outfits made of plastic materials.
We will donate to Children in Need.

Bah bloody humbug

In honour of this thread I will add tinsel to DDs fairisle dress.

Ours isn't asking for money at all, it's just a fun thing they're going to do on Christmas dinner day.

I do think the more specific dress up days (World Book Day etc) can be problematic, especially if announced at short notice, but this is relatively easy.

Altinkum

You're right, it doesn't have to cost a lot, but many people will still buy a jumper specially when they were not planning to, especially if the dcs don't want a homemade outfit.

Altinkum

I'm impressed you let him take a chainsaw to school

IME the families with spare cash pin tinsel on jumpers, but the families with no spare cash go out and waste money on 'proper' jumpers because the are so worried about their kids feeling left out.

I suppose 4 dcs worth of dress up days wears you down
eventually...

38 school years times two or three dress up days on average each does add up

I agree with Sarky
It seems like the number of these special days is increasing

I think it undermines the rationale for school uniforms ( all the same, avoids clothes competitiveness & teasing) to have these multiple exceptions

So a parent buys a DC Christmas jumper for 8 that may have been made by child labour in a sweatshop.

The retailers makes 7.00 profit on the jumper.
The sweatshop child may be be paid a few pence per day, be treated badly and work very long hours

But it's all great because the parent then has to donate 1.00 to Save the Children, probably so they can try and improve the working conditions of the child who made the jumper.

Poundland have battery operated lights in small strings you could pin to a jumper - I feel your pain OP

Ghosty sort your name out.

OP just stick some tinsel on his jumper.

DD started school this term. I've just counted and she's been at school for 8 weeks and has had 4 dress-up or non-uniform days, therefore one per fortnight. It's ridiculous.

I've already said I'll put tinsel on her dress

Still hate the whole concept of Christmas jumpers though.
Except on Bridget Jones, when it was funny.

I kind of like it though Usual plus it's Christmassy in a Scrooge kind of way

I'm a teacher and I agree that there are too many dress up days. Our school eases the pressure by making every charity dress up day a 'non uniform but the theme is xxxx if you want to participate.' Pupils can either wear there own clothes or participate in the theme if they want. Then each form has a donation box with no limit or pressure to pay. Pupils can put in a few pennies or a pound and nobody questions them or can see what they have contributed. It works well for us. We always raise a good chunk of money for a charity. We are going Christmas jumper day but for the staff not the pupils!

Their^

It's a complete waste of money and should be discouraged by schools. I point blank refuse to spend money of items for a specific charity day. I'm happy to adapt what we have (useless at sewing, but a dab hand with a glue gun and some wonderweb), but I'm buggered if I'm spending £10 or £20 on an item AND making a donation on top.

No need for a big spend. You can easily tape stuff onto a red, green or white jumper for free.

This is a national thing, I think 10th Dec. it's not just schools, it's offices as well. Personally I bought my dd a massive Christmas jumper that will do her for 3 or 4 years. You can get a boys christmas jumper from £6 in asda so if you buy it big and wear it lots it won't be wasteful.

I agree it's a pain if you can't borrow a jumper and don't want to buy a new one but decorating an old jumper yourself isn't difficult or expensive so to my mind it's a lot less hassle than dressing as a victorian at a moment's notice!

Don't forget this is a new idea, in a couple of years time the charity shops will be chock full of Christmas jumpers so the situation will solve itself.

I would not dream of boycotting anything like that . Your child will be the only one not dressed up and everyone will just think their m forgot !!!

Kids love dressing up, it's fun, don't let him be the odd one out just because of your views!!

But fair isle is a 'Christmas jumper' isn't it? I thought any generic knitted jumper like that was.

Saying that my son has been wearing his snowman jumper for a few weeks and will wear it well into January/feb - they got lots of wear out of their jumpers last year.

I'm of the firm impression a jumper is for life, not just for Christmas ;-)

Morrisons have nice long sleeved t shirts with winter/festive designs at the moment that cost £2.50/£3. I feel the same about christmas jumpers as they will be worn so few times before outgrown but got these t shirts to join in the spirit of schools Christmas mufti day.

I think putting some tinsel and decorations on a jumper is a great idea. When my DS was little he was in the Nativity play, he was a shepherd. I made his costume from a pillowslip. On the day every child seemed to be in a fancy shop bought costume. I felt terrible until he ran up to me and said, "I was the only one who had a costume made specially for me." I nearly cried, better than one of those Christmas weepy adverts.