To think that Christmas jumper day is a bad way for schools to raise money?

[Pico2]

DD is in reception, so this is her first year of pay £1 to wear a Christmas jumper to school. A Christmas jumper costs about £10 from Tesco (we live rurally, any savings on buying from Primark would be erased by the petrol cost). Much like other children she grows like a weed, so we'd probably only get 2 years max out of a jumper. We wouldn't buy her one otherwise. So a charity will get perhaps £2 over 2 years out of the £12 spent. I appreciate that it isn't obligatory, but like most parents I try to get DD to participate where possible. Am I the only parent to think that this benefits shops far more than charities?

[RomComPhooey]

I would love a costume cupboard - ask for leaving parents to donate any relevant costumes and then say £2 to "hire" from the cupboard.

The school could also lend them out to kids on FSM or with family issues that mean they'd be otherwise unable to participate, but storage would be an issue.

[wornoutboots]

last year my little Pagan boy avoided it all by becoming ill.
He had said he was going to pay the money and "wear my own jumper coz we don't do christmas"

I dread this year - he was in reception class last year and wouldn't have had much said but this year he's in the main school and comments would be made (and those who wore a customised normal jumper last year were ridiculed, apparently, so despite the fact that we don't do christmas I'd have to buy him a sodding christmas jumper this year)

And they generally give about 2 days notice of these things in his school.

[educatingarti]

Boots. What about a more generic winter theme one, eg snowman, snowflakes, reindeer etc. Not really Christmas as such and anything wintery is quite relevant to yule/ winter solstice.

[bettyberry]

boots get a fair isle style sweater instead. Its not overly xmassy and probably fits much more with your beliefs than one with santa on it!

www.clothingattesco.com/invt/af521117?gclid=COykgZGduMkCFVdsGwodq1EMCA&gclsrc=aw.ds

This one would fit the bill I think.

[educatingarti]

one [[http://direct.asda.com/george/kids/cardigans-jumpers/fairisle-christmas-jumper/G005178384,default,pd.html]] is sort of woodland/reindeer rather than overly christmas theme

and one [[http://direct.asda.com/george/kids/cardigans-jumpers/penguin-christmas-jumper/G005193397,default,pd.html]] is a penguin on a snowboard - nothing to do with Christmas at all unless you count the party hat he is wearing - but I guess you do parties even if you don't do Christmas itself?

[educatingarti]

Sorry - bad links!

direct.asda.com/george/kids/cardigans-jumpers/penguin-christmas-jumper/G005193397,default,pd.html penguin


and direct.asda.com/george/kids/cardigans-jumpers/fairisle-christmas-jumper/G005178384,default,pd.html reindeer and trees

[TheNewStatesman]

Do an Xmas jumper if you want to and find it fun.
Send in a tenner in an envelope if you don't!

Either way, def. do not be pressured into buying something you will never use again--I agree, it's very wasteful.

[BathshebaDarkstone]

DD already has and is wearing her Christmas jumper (not right this minute, she's at school! ), I'll have to buy one for DS but he'll wear it until he grows out of it, all year round.

[Rinceoir]

Its not just schools- DD nursery running one too. She's only 19months so pinning baubles on isn't really safe. She's going to wear her Xmas jumper every 3 days throughout December/January I think. Got one with a snowman and a reindeer (which she excitedly points to shouting dog).

[maryann1975]

The lucky children working in the sweat shops being paid 10p a day to make Christmas jumpers for us to buy at £10, so we can pay £1 to a charity of the schools choice. .
Our school has written on the school calendar 'christmas jumper day' for the first time. I'm really annoyed about it. There is so much waste around christmas and I get so cross about it. Things like this make a divide between the children who have and those who don't. To find £10 for a jumper a child can't wear all year round is such a waste of money. Some families are struggling to feed their children on a daily basis and then the schools ask for more and more. Many posters have commented that those who customise their own jumpers are ridiculed for not buying them, it's not fair for parents to be forking out all the time in the name of charity.

[Pengweng]

Bit late to this thread but I've bought some fruit of the loom t shirts from Amazon for £1.60 each and I'm just going to decorate with a felt tree or pin some mini baubles on it.

[multivac]

It's a Save the Children campaign. No one is expected to spend a tenner on a jumper - although of course, the High Street chains are keen to cash in.

Last year the School Council organised it at our children's primary. Pupils were encouraged to customise (and no, that didn't mean finding a couple of hours with a sewing machine; pinning on some tinsel and a bauble or two was fine), not purchase, sweaters.

Because the message about what it was for was fully delivered, by the children, to the children.

[atticusclaw2]

My DSs were given their Christmas jumpers this morning and I told them they have to wear them every day to get a decent amount of use out of them!

[merrymouse]

If it's for 18th December it's ITV's annual celebathon, text santa.

All the pictures are very much of celebs in Xmas jumpers.

I can say with cast iron certainty that many Xmas jumpers will have been made in sweatshops that use child labour.

But hey, we can all watch Piers Morgan and the rest of the good morning Britain team sing 'last Christmas' in their Christmas jumpers, because celebs love charidee!!

[multivac]

They have partnered with ITV's text Santa, but it is a Save the Children campaign. And it isn't about buying unethically produced jumpers. Nor is it compulsory, of course.

[blobbityblob]

You just wear whatever jumper/t shirt you have and spruce it up a bit. You don't have to buy a Christmas jumper. Or don't spruce it up - just go in your own clothes. Nobody minds.

[merrymouse]

You don't have to buy a jumper, but the text Santa campaign is very much about buying a Christmas jumper. Of course you can choose an ethical way to raise money, but from the itv website, fundraising suggestions are very much based around wearing cheaply made Christmas items. You don't have to be deeply cynical to question how these things have been made so cheaply.

[Lovemytent]

From another perspective - all these non uniform days are leaving my nearly 4 yr old a little confused !
Tomorrow will the the 3rd non uniform fundraising day of the last 4 weeks. DS is confused and doesn't yet understand why one day it is ok to wear his Spiderman tee shirt (etc) and the next he has to wear his uniform.
So now I am having morning battles when he is convinced he should be able to wear his dinosaur jumper as 'yesterday we could'.

[blobbityblob]

Oh and I think a blind eye is turned to those that don't pay their £1. They'd rather people joined in than worried about paying - that's in our school anyway.

[Notimefortossers]

I agree I hate this too. My eldest is Yr 2 and the previous two years I've down the darning tinsel to a jumper thing. However this year she's in the choir and has a performance on the same day at a local care home. I didn't want her to be the only one in an un-bought jumper in such a small group and for a performance so I've relented and bought one. Meaning obviously I also had to get one for DD2 in reception. F.Y.I OP Tesco have a girls Christmas jumper for £6. It's black with white snowflakes on and says 'This Girl Loves Christmas' in red letters

[Lovemytent]

We have a Olaf jumper - I deliberately bought this in red last year - it did for my DD then, and this year it will do for my DS. My DD wore hers all over winter too, so I am sure my DS will too.
Looking forward to making DH wear the Will Ferrell ELF tee shirt I got in the Jan sale at Asda last year for £2. That'll do him for the next few years whether he likes it or not ;)
Sorry - i keep going off on tangents

[StrapOnDodo]

I agree with Maryanne1975

I worry about who is making the jumpers and in what conditions. It's doubly ironic to raise money for Save the Children buy putting social pressure on people to buy jumpers- many of whom can ill afford them-which may be made in sweatshop conditions.

I have four dcs and have not bought a Christmas jumper yet.

[icelollycraving]

Ds is in reception & I find it hard to keep up with the constant demands from school. Bake sales/non uniform/forest days/elf day/nativity/school photos/christmas cards drawn by ds & printed/harvest festival/donate a bottle for raffle/school trip & on & on.
I work full time. I remember what I can & pretty much throw money at it out of guilt. We are in a fairly affluent area but we get by ok.
Sorry went off on a tangent,could you suggest if you feel confident enough that it was also festive colours? That covers pretty much everything!

[icelollycraving]

^ I meant we get by ok but are not with the kinds of funds that a lot of parents are here. We both have to work full time,that is not common here from what I see.

[SettlinginNicely]

I feel your pain OP. I suggested DD wear the jumper I just finished knitting her for this winter. A lovely, Rowan yarn and pattern, too!
Alas, it will not do. It is not a "real" Christmas jumper.
Apparently it should be acrylic and be made in the Far East to be the real thing!