To object to Christmas jumper day?

[Drummingisfun]

DS school have already put on the calendar that they are doing Christmas jumper day, for a £1 donation to save the children.

AIBU to feel uncomfortable about it?
I am not just being a scrooge, I don't object to most festive activities but:
1)parents on a very low income are out under pressure to buy and jumper and also contribute £1. Note that there are THREE OTHER non uniform days scheduled before this also with a £1 donation.

2. It means people buying jumpers which will barely be worn, which is terrible for the environment. Bad if they are made of nylon/acrylic/polyester as all plastics, bad if made from cheap unsustainable cotton due to massive water consumption and pollution by factories. Anyone who watched the recent Stacey Dooley documentary will know what I'm talking about.

3. the irony of donating the money to save the children when most people will have bought their child the cheapest jumper they can find for a couple of quid, meaning that children are likely to have been harmed at some stage in the production either by sweatshop labour, massive unsustainable farming, factories polluting their living environment and water source...

AIBU? I love Christmas but I just feel that school shouldn't be promoting pointless consumerism like this.

If I can afford it (we tend to get loads of these things) I still send the kids in, tell them I'll pay later and just don't. I am all for supporting charity and I do sponsor a child for example, but I do agree when there's a lot of these things sometimes it not possible... But at the same time I'm not having my kids stand out or be teased because they're in uniform when no one else is.

I think the same of buying things you probably don't need because some proceeds are donated to charity. Just donate all the money you would have wasted on a tacky virtue signalling pin or bracelet to the charity directly.

Umm I'm wearing my Christmas jumper right now cos I'm cold 

Totally agree. Ours does it and I've adapted existing clothes so far.

Normal non-uniform is ok because you already have the clothes. (It's just the remembering).

PTA swap-stall (£1 each?) is a brilliant idea.

Definitely mention it - even it just prompts them to broaden the brief to 'wear something Christmassy; jumper, hat, tinsel etc.'

YABU and YANBU

YABU, it’s a fun activity. It doesn’t have to cost a lot. Don’t buy a jumper especially, decorate a top you already have. I love the recycling idea of reselling too small jumpers and raising some extra ££ but saving a lot compared to buying new.

YANBU about the number of non uniform days, that’s overkill.

Also, do your children ONLY wear their jumpers that day? Mine are already asking can they wear theirs yet this year!

I dont really get the big deal?

just send them in uniform if it bothers you.

my kids school had roald dahl day the other day didnt have any costumes so sent them in uniform

Goodness me primark etc do Xmas jumpers for peanuts or get a red/green jumper add tinsel/decs/Pom poms etc

My nephews school addressed the low income and also encouraged recycling by asking everyone to donate their old now too small jumpers to the school they then held a Christmas jumper sale where parents could buy a Christmas jumper for about £2 the funds raised went to save the children.
I’m going to suggest my dcs school does the same this year, plus they do get to wear Xmas jumpers on several occasions in December.

i buy jumpers that are slightly too big so last for 2 years wear, the kids also wear them alot over december and january and february. (they dont care about the xmas theme of it) in fact DDs one was a long jumper with a penguin on it wearing wooly hat and she wore it over the summer!!

I also look out for them in the sales in Jan - often find them for £1-2 and buy them for the following year.

Our Christmas jumpers last years so probably the best value items of clothing in the house.

I don't really agree from the "wear it once" thing. Mine would wear them quite a lot and I also pass all their clothing on.

You can always pick up cheap ones via selling sites.

I like it, you could say people potentially can't afford a load of things, in that case no one would do anything would they?

I don't think anyone particularly polices the dress down quids either loads of times I've not had change etc and given it loads later.

I am tempted to write an email to school asking if they have considered the points I made above

I wouldn’t. Unless you come up with an alternative fundraiser, and / or join the PTA to help raise funds for the school.

And you’re likely to be told it’s not compulsory.

I made some pom-poms out of left over wool and stitched them onto the children's plain jumpers in a Christmas tree shape (6 pom-poms per jumper). They can be snipped off afterwards and used again and again. I added some tinsel and other glittery bits to 'decorate' the Christmas trees - I have a big craft bag full of stuff so no outlay required.

buy a plain red or green jumper so it can be worn all year round

I actually think the 'disposible fashion vs a larger charity donation' element of it is worse among cash-rich, time-poor parents.

People who normally buy second hand and habitually look out for bargains will be tuned into that approach. People who normally buy new may not be.

Dress up days are much worse, mine used to wear their Xmas jumpers loads and got a couple of years out of them.

what happened to just weraing some tinsel in the hair, antler/santa hat or stupid lensless glasses with a carrot nose? things you could pick up for a quid or two/ had flaoting in te bottom of the junk drawer/cupboard?

I'm with you @Drummingisfun. In fact I emailed Save the Children only yesterday about it.

Yes, I'd say speak to the school - they could participate by winter colours or something. Saying don't buy special is a cop out really. It's a short shelf life:

If you can contact the charity as well.

jellybears I think you've missed the point. The very fact that primark sell them for peanuts is exactly what makes it bad!
If jumpers are being sold for peanuts then they are highly unlikely to have been produced in a sustainable or ethical way and people involved in production (including possibly children) are unlikely to have been paid a decent living wage.

world book day another....have the school seen how much the outfits cost? it was bad enough just buying one i felt bad for the parents/guardians that had 2/3/4+ kids thank god my DSS is now in secondary school, and that dress up day is done with

We normally get a Christmassy T-shirt DD wears most of December for outings and parties. I buy large so we normally get two years wear out of it and then when outgrown it goes to the charity shop. They are full from mid November onwards with jumpers, so it is easy to get one second hand or as other PP say, swap with friends.

I preferred what DD’s infant school and now secondary school does. Uniform and then something in the colour of the charity like yellow last week for mental health. They asked for £1 but announced they raised around £400. They have over 1200 pupils in school so there is a certain amount of people who don’t participate.

The thought of some poor child or woman in the third world sitting in an unsafe garment factory for hours sewing baubles onto a shitty piece of polyester so some kid in the first world can have a slightly merrier Christmas is Dickensian.

It's alright for me, I love sewing and have the time. But all the oil, turned into disposable crap, sewn by workers in unsafe conditions? It's is about the least Christmassy thing you could do.

I hate book day. I love books but I refuse point blank to buy a costume for same reasons as xmas jumper day which means I have to make one.
And most of the kids last year were dressed as TV vharact anyway.

I think ALL days that involve parents making or buying costumes should be banned.

Fine if children can realistically sort it out themselves without much support or if the costumes are made in school.

If the PTA or the charity want money I am happy to cut out the whole jumper nonsense and just donate.