To find the shops utterly depressing at this time of year?

[BasinHaircut]

Is it just me?

I can’t really articulate why I find it all a bit depressing but the Xmas music, piles of overpriced shit and number of people are the obvious things that grate.

I have on a coathanger in my wardrobe the gifts bags I used for my kids, they've been used for at least ten years. Although I now have smaller ones because the gifts have got smaller. Pillowcases were so much easier. Re: shopping I do like it but everywhere is so uncomfortably hot.

I have done all my Christmas shopping online. There are a couple of items outstanding, but I am going to send dh for them. I used to like having a mooch round the shops, but I really can’t be bothered with it now.

I get what you mean, I love the Christmas atmosphere (the lights, music, dark early etc) but all the shops make me more stressed/sad than happy as Christmas is so bloody expensive!

OP, I'm with you a million times over. I love shopping - but avoid it like the proverbial Plague at this time of year.

I'd also think "what the fuck" about a musical shortbread tin. The M&S "Christmas Gin" provoked the same response in me (about 4,000 times the price of their normal gin, for the same stuff).

Can I add "fuck off" to any kind of boxed "gift" toiletries (if I want bath foam, I'll buy bath foam, and I don't want a bottle of "body lotion" as well, thanks).

I might also add "fuck off" to all the oh-so-hilarious games peddled by TK Maxx, which will all have 75% off on 27th December, because they're all shit.

Bah humbug.

All the shop windows are decorated, there are lights everywhere, I like it, it's pretty and it's so miserable, cold and dark outside we need it.

Had a rant at DH about similar last night.
Xmas eve boxes - why?! Yet more tat
I reuse all gift bags so they can be ok if reused.
Was in M and S earlier and just piles of novelty shite
Then I learned DD has to have a Xmas jumper for one day at school. Refusing to buy one.

The increased quantity of unnecessary immeasurable packaging is depressing along with the increased boards of shoppers who tend to get nastier in the shops.

I stay away as much as I can

Which is a shame as I’d love to soak up the festive cheer. But there is none in a large town or city

Where I used to live a small market town felt lovely at Christmas

Wholeheartedly agree - grossly wasteful time of year, it actually makes me feel sick to see the piles of tat that will end up on landfill. Plus cards and paper. it’s an actual disgrace given what we now now regarding the planet. Yet still most of population will do it with not a care at all for anything but their big heap of tat beneath the tree. Awful.

I love seeing the lights and decorations.

What I don't like is the tat brought in because it's Christmas.
E.g. You have bought a book in a book shop you say... Allow us to ask you if you want a kilner jar with some chocolate power and marshmallows in
You've been to a menswear shop to buy menswear... But first you must navigate the endless piles of so called fun man toys because who doesn't want a toy car model kit, a tin of retro board games and a robot version of mini foosball>

I sound like such a grump but i hate shopping and would happily support the high street, but I hate going into shops and not being able to find what I need from the shop because they've filled it with festive tat and box sets.
It's especially pressing when M&S have got rid of maternity tights and have a tiny selection of nursing bras, bit half a shop full of royal jelly gift sets.

I went into Wilko for a lightbulb today (it was £2 so buying online a bit pointless and needed it immediately!) I had to negotiate advent calendars and the aisle of tat and gift sets. So much stuff.

I love gift bags! I reuse them over and over. I think they're better than wrapping paper as that's normally used once before being recycled.

In my mind, Christmas shopping is fun and festive with classic looking 20-foot tall Christmas trees next to wooden toy soldier, like Hamley's was in the 80's when I visited as a child. Outside there's carol singers, and Salvation Army man ringing a bell, and a couple of places where you can see Santa in store for £3. Everyone says "hello" and "Merry Christmas" as they pass you

Reality: plastic shite is adorned on every inch of toy shop walls - and aisles, which are so skinny due to cramming in of crap - and people ram your ankles with their prams and its so busy that now and again a crowd nearly sweeps away your child. Outside there's no carol signers, but chuggers ready to guilt trip you, and yes you can see Santa for a bargain price of £18 per person, for which you can take away a crappy toy, but you must book him 3 months in advance.

It's honestly like some consumerist dystopian nightmare.

And no you can't fucking have my email address, I'll take a printed receipt thank you very much, and stop trying to upsell me perfume "made" by some vapid popstar that smells like vinegar and arses.

And people wonder why the high street isn't popular anymore.

I know exactly what you mean.
There just seems to be mountains of stuff everywhere plus it's cold outside yet boiling in the shops so your trying to take your hat and scarf off and nearly pass out in the cue.
It really puts me off shopping for anything around xmas.
Another thing that pisses me off is when you find something really nice and it's got xmas something on it.

I love all the lights and trees and Christmas stuff. I don't buy the stuff but I like looking at it. I agree there is far too much of it though and far too much packaging and plastic.

I've gone tat-free this year as much as possible. The dc have got presents they will definitely use (the benefit of experience there, previous years when they were little were often wasteful).

They have Christmas Eve bags rather than boxes and have had the same ones for a few years now. No tat in there just pjs they will wear all year (except hot nights should we get any), popcorn, chocolate, sweets and crisps. This is supposed to last them a few movie nights in December (they've had them early as the dds are not here on Christmas Eve).

Dd2 is particularly conscious of plastic waste now so they've not got selection boxes this year.

We went to Lyme Park yesterday and under the huge tree in the library of the house they had lots of presents that were wrapped in brown paper and tied with string or ribbon. It was such a contrast to the brightly coloured and shiny paper we have now. I liked it and have vowed to stop using modern shiny paper once my collection has been used up.

Gifts bags should definitely be reused. I thought every one did that now.

Boxing Day sales? Now that is something that should be banned. Awful, vulgar consumerism after three weeks of massive consumerism.

I live in the SE. It will be rammed every evening and weekend from now on - by it I mean every medium sized town upwards.

I am always surprised because real shops often actually have better prices and more appropriate gifts than the endless online buying.

Gift bags are lovely! Do the rounds for years. There’s really nice ones now.

I can't bear it, I used to like it but I just can't see past the waste now.
I think it's really sad.

And no you can't fucking have my email address, I'll take a printed receipt thank you very much, and stop trying to upsell me perfume "made" by some vapid popstar that smells like vinegar and arses
Have you been inside my mind when I've been shopping?

I agree, and it has got worse over the last few years I’m sure. The Christmas advertising has been relentless for weeks already. I scrolled through Insta yesterday and couldn’t believe how many people had expensive advent calendars along with boxes of presents for their kids...because it was the 1st December! The consumption at this time of year shocks me at times.

I'd actually quite like the musical biscuit tin but YANBU. I feel that this year is the beginning of the end of people buying unnecessary crap. Attitudes will start to shift.

Yanbu. Hate the tat and Xmas music.

Oh god yes, the crazy advent calendars. Who needs a new beauty products every day ffs? As a child I loved the traditional ones with pictures and a sprinkle of glitter. It seemed magical. It was purely to count down to Christmas, not a treat or a gift or whatever. I did have a chocolate one when I was about 10. I saved all the chocolates until Christmas Day and got little joy from it at all. When dd1 was 1 I bought a refillable one and all 3dc now love its appearance on December 1st. I fill it with different edible things each year. I remember reading on here about the liberty one and being gobsmacked. Now there's gin, cheese, and god knows what else. It's madness. I think I'd have preferred to have lived in a much simpler time.

YANBU. The only time the shops are a worse place to be is in the sales. Not to mention the infernal Christmas/German markets that everywhere insists on staging every year. The one near us renders an entire major street nigh-on impassable for a month because of the crowds, which I wouldn't mind so much if it sold stuff worth buying. But it doesn't, most of it is just tat and the stalls essentially repeat every 100 yards and when I seize power the people who drive pushchairs through it will be first against the wall.

consumerist dystopian nightmare

Whoever said this upthread - this is spot on!

This was my first and last trip to the town centre in the run up to Christmas (and I mean from November) and I have no plans to go back until at least February when the sales should have fucked off.

It depresses me too, a prime example was a bowl, spoon and mini box of frosties for £8 for some poor sod to buy because they feel the need to get something for someone.

Online shopping is my friend and then I will have one trip into town for things like fluffy socks and PJs.