To hate all the Christmas waste?

[Zarabell]

I feel like this every year and I know I'm going to sound like a right misery.

I actually love Christmas. I love the decorations, love surprising my dc with presents and Santa coming, love the family time, all the nice food, the Christmas parties (well some of them).

But what I really hate is all the massive amount of waste and consumerism.

Every year we get stacks of expensive cards and I don't mean one out of a pack, people we barely know buy gifts for the dc and we end up with huge piles off stuff and half of it we don't want. I then feel obliged to buy something back out of politeness.

I know that sounds massively ungrateful but it's not that, it's the amount of money spent that could go to better use. Half of it gets opened played with once and never sees the light of day again.

I do know that people are simply trying to be kind but I wish Christmas was more about the above mentioned with just a few gifts. Children seem to expect present mountains.

Has anyone successfully had a non ott Christmas.

Would it be hugely mean to suggest my older children donate any presents that they aren't keen on?

YANBU. I've been Marie Kondo-ing this year and I was astonished how many rolls of wrapping paper and boxes of cards we already have. I've also got rid of a lot of the Christmas decs that I used to put up for the sake of it. Kept the ones I really liked and vowed not to keep buying more.
I'm definitely going to shop more mindfully for the children. It's true there are certain things they really want, fair enough, but if got into the habit of buying loads of "fillers", half of which stayed in their boxes so just had a clear out for charity. Our toddler is getting a second hand piano and toy aeroplane that were her brothers and she will love (stored away so she's never seen them). There will be a few fillers/surprises but I'm trying to focus on stuff that will actually be used or consumed!
Apart from a couple of friends we now don't exchange gifts with anyone outside our immediate family. I did appreciate what I was given but struggled where to put it each year! And it was often stuff I wouldn't have chosen myself.
I've asked my husband for a new dressing gown this year, because I actually need one.
No food gets wasted ever. We're much too greedy!