To encourage you all to buy less this Christmas?

[Notcontent]

Reading some of the Christmas threads, it seems there are so many people who are spending hundreds or thousands of pounds on Christmas presents, often spending money they don’t have or can ill afford.

This is madness. Buy only for the immediate family. Don’t buy lots. Don’t buy things just for the sake of buying.

I saw a post on social media where a local lady offering to help people have a cheap and sustainable Christmas. At the bargain price of over £100! She must think people were born yesterday Yes, you have a cheap and sustainable Christmas while I have a bumper one and laugh at your expense!

I’m not buying less but I am trying not to buy tat. So DH for example has- a new rucksack- his last one is 17 years old and disintegrating. Socks as these wear out in a year. Then consumables - aftershave, gin, coffee etc.
DS has toys but mainly Playmobil which is good quality and will last, so it can be sold on or kept for grandchildren.

We've had a really tough year and have decided to do Christmas with all the bells and whistles. My nearly 3 year old had open heart surgery a couple of months ago and is going to be completely spoilt.
I would say do what makes you happy and leave others to do the same.

Thanks op you've reminded me to check the Christmas threads and now I've just bought an extra couple of things

I agree with you OP, but I work with families in debt. From November to February all I see and hear is 'I can't pay the bills, it's Christmas'. It seems to be the people who have the least, spend the most.

"seems to be the people who have the least, spend the most."

They spend in one go, rather than all year, as people with more money do.

It makes you feel better if you can have a 'good' Christmas and aren't reminded that you live in relative poverty, on special occasions.

OP, I think that we've all been encouraged to spend and buy for everyone.

We've agreed not to do Adult presents. My Sister buys shit that goes straight in the charity shop. Her wrapping paper etc is non recyclable, which annoys me more.

I think we all should be thinking about sustainability. It isn't necessarily about spending less, but buying less crap and stocking fillers etc.

My 4 year old GD is getting a Nintendo Switch and games. Board games and another quite expensive toy. She's got an Advent activity pack, from Aldi, which she'll enjoy, she's not fussed on chocolate.

We've moved towards activity and days out etc rather than stuff.

So lots spent, but no bitty bits of plastic and stuff for the sake of it.

I am one for Christmas Eve packs, themed decorations, bedding etc, but it all gets packed away and reused.

I agree with you OP

@Notcontent I totally agree with you. The excessive over consumption makes me feel sad. At a time when the desperate state of the planet is so clear, one of the best things we can do is reduce the amount we purchase. We live near a huge container ship port and I am hugely aware of the pollution they produce and it irks me that so much of what they bring is just tat people will buy for the sake of it. We owe it to our children to become much more aware of the future impact of what we buy.

it doesn’t take the joy out of Christmas to buy less, far from it. I love Christmas, but it is about far more than the presents.

I would never go into debt to buy Christmas stuff but I can afford to spend about £200 on DS without doing that so I won't be scrimping. I started a new job this year with good prospects so I want a nice Christmas. I buy for other family too.

I know not much but I've decided not to get crackers, chocolate tree decorations, advent calendar and non glitter cards this year.

Im twinning my sister's downstairs loo with one in Malawi this year, every little helps!

*The crackers, my son moans every year how crap the things in the crackers are. They cost a ridiculous amount for what they are and the bang frightens the cat! So what's the point! Most Christmas cards I found had glitter on, got some in The Card Factory in the end.

OP I’m kind of with you on this. People can spend what they want on whosoever they wish. It’s what people buy which is everyone’s business as it affects our shared home.please don’t buy some shit bathset from boots, packed full of unsustainable palm oil packaged in loads of plastic shipped from China, find a UK based hand made soap company, look at experiences rather than primarni novelty clothes that will be in landfill in 6months time. If you want to buy a present for great aunt Ethel’s dogs brothers budgie fine no skin off my nose but please consider the effect your choice of present has on us all.

I am not trying to be rude but I am getting weary of hearing how some people are unfortunate and we have to bear that in mind constantly,I do understand this point but I don't need it hammering home.I am sorry some people aren't as fortunate as I am,but believe me when I was cleaning toilets at 4 am every morning and 10 pm every night whilst fitting in childcare and round a husband doing 12 hour night shifts in a shitty factory I think I have earned the right to say how I spend our money,,,,and if Christmas bends the plastic a little too much then it does and I am happy with that....Things have moved on since those days when we did what we had to to survive but every year we made it happen for us for the kids for the relatives...yes its out and out commercialism ,,yes its expensive yes its ridiculous but it is what it is and if 3 nintendo switches is what it takes then thats ok too....I have so had it with being preached at,and I am not apologizing for working my arse off to better myself in order to do it.I know I sound selfish and cold and slightly heartless and maybe thats a fair assessment but I am done with being made to feel bad..I don;t feel bad in the slightest and I wont be made to feel bad for any aspect of spending christmas any way we choose.

The thing is though- Christmas has always been about excess. It's a festival, held in the dead of winter, that calls for roast meat, rich fruit cake and copious alcohol.
This has never been easily affordable. That's kind of the point.
Personally I think we should go back to how it was celebrated in feudal times where the richest most powerful person you know would have to invite everyone into their toasty warm house and keep them fed and entertained for 12 days.
My boss is getting off lightly with her £10 secret Santa, I tell you.

It entirely depends on your family circumstances.

If you can afford it, crack on and fill your boots.

Personally I'm glad my children are teenagers as I'm not sure my mental health could take the planning of elf on a shelf, North Pole breakfasts, Christmas pjs and bedding or anything else that seems to crop up as a new must do tradition.

This year all my strength will be used to remove them from electronic devices and spend time with family. My Dad died this year so my priorities have vastly changed.

However whatever you do, please don't get into any debt and happy Christmas everyone [santa]

I tend to give practical things that people need and so do my family: the umbrella, scarf, gloves, and woolly socks I will be putting on later are presents from extended family, the paints dh is using for his next landscape are from my extended family, the coat that is keeping dd warm is from money given by extended family. I eat on gifts, I sleep on gifts, I read gifts, I use gifts for pretty well every activity I do around the house. Remembering that it is a gift just makes everyday little things more pleasurable.

No food waste in my family: my parents who do the hosting have a freezer and live off the remains well into February.

Yes, plastic tat is wrong. Getting into debt is bad for you. Throwing food away is wasteful. But they are not necessary concomitants of a Christmas with presents. Some people just like living in the oldfashioned way of frugal everyday-lavish feast day. It doesn't have to be any more wasteful or bad for the environment than spending on a regular basis.

It's a festival, held in the dead of winter, that calls for roast meat, rich fruit cake and copious alcohol

And that's what Christmas is to me. Not all this buying overpackaged, overpriced shite for the sake of it.

Net result usually is that people spend loads of money and receive a load of stuff they don't want or need in return. Which then either languishes in cupboards, goes in the bin, or ends up in charity shops with all the other unwanted stuff.

You know it's all got ridiculous when there are multiple threads on here along the lines of 'what do I want for christmas because I don't want or need anything' and then people suggest all sorts of pointless shite like candles, photoframes or riduculously priced novelty items from I saw you coming.com Not on the High Street.

When the OP of threads like that is an adult with their own money, if they ever wanted a photo frame, candle, or novelty picture made from a load of cut up maps they would buy their own and get exactly the right one not something similar as a gift.

Wow, I didn’t realise my thread would provoke so much vitriol.

Of course people can spend as much as they want. And I suppose it’s none of my business. But there are lots of people who spend too much because they feel like they HAVE TO. I was just hoping to generate some discussion about the pressure to spend.

Oh my god, do Christmas the way YOU want and get over caring what anybody else is doing

Yep

Another saying too late...

We did a number of years ago cut down spending on anyone not a child....but that was mainly because they could buy anything they want themselves

Notcontent, if you have been on this site for a while you will know that these threads about what pressure at Christmas/how shallow Christmas is start in September and are pretty unrelenting until Twelfthnight. We are already in November- people are probably getting a bit tired of them.

What I found irritating (apart from the ohnotanotherone) was the attempt to micromanage the details: these are the people you should be spending on, not these.

But Barbara don't you see that the roast meat, alcohol and fruitcake would have been impossible luxuries in the past?
It's the direct equivalent to splurging on consumer goods today.
Its a big "fuck you" to prudence in the middle of the most depressing time of the year.

Do what you like but I don't think material things make people very happy. Children will remember things like being with the family, a walk to church, singing carols at home and at church, a walk in the park with the whole family much more than whether they had £XXXX spent on them. I do spend £100 per person which is not huge given what I earn and they all want it as money which sounds a bit boring and I do every year say would you like we to spend that on specific persents but since mid teenage years they have always wanted it as cash as the children are not very into material things either.

I have no problem however with people spending whatever they like. In fact the country tends to need to grow the economy (not that growth is always good) by people spending so they love those splashing the cash at Christmas and hate people like I am (although I don't think I am Mr Scrooge) not spending a huge amount. We do get a nice tree installed.

Have a happy christmas everyone.

Happy Christmas to you too xenia