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 need to go out to the shops because its DH's birthday at the weekend and I need to get him something to open. I'm not going to be able to park am I?

squashyhat

I agree with you! Local here does a chocolate milkshake with two chocolate bars added plus the sugar cream and Marshmallows.

Bloody awful!

Not to mention an ‘normal’ cake now piled high with mars bars or similar

It’s just not necessary

could you walk or get the bus @thenightsky ?

And I'll happily start a petition to ban those rancid perfume gift sets. I always had to be explicit with my OHs - I want Daisy Marc Jacobs, I don't want a gift set for the same price, but with a smaller bottle and some gross "body soufflé" that DOESN'T smell like the perfume!!! It's a false economy and makes me seeth when I see them

I'm the same with gin. I don't want a "set" full of multi flavoured gin drinks that don't taste of gin. Just a bottle of Gordon's will be fine thank you.

If you order it on Amazon, and pay a bit more, you could get a present delivered before the weekend, @thenightsky - make it easy on yourself!

I was talking to friends today, who had been into the local shopping centre at the weekend, and apparently there were queues just to get into the Pandora shop! No way do I want to take part in that madness.

We do have a few people I feel we need to send gifts to - the £15 hat-and-glove-set people a previous poster mentioned - but for a number of years now, I have been sending them posh biscuits or jam from Fortnum and Mason. But I do my best to send the sort of jam and biscuits people will use - not selections of little jars that end up at the back of the cupboard. It seems to go down well enough - I've had no complaints.

I keep well away from shops other than lidl or aldi in November and December (actually most of the year). I actually enjoy Christmas if I don't have to go out in the crowds, listen to terrible music, look at piles of tat etc. Really not keen on wasting my Saturdays trawling around looking for things I never can find when a couple of clicks of a mouse and i have sourced it and got it delivered. I have either made stuff or bought everything online.

It’s not joyless not to want piles of tat that gets thrown onto landfill and into which frankly very little thought has gone andpancakesforbreakfast I get far more joy from less but more thoughtful gifts that will actually be used.

I also don’t see how it’s joyless to not like all of this nonsense either. It doesn’t bring me any joy at all.

Joy for me would be a Christmas where the lead up is less obvious and full of anticipation for everyone, then having a week or so of it full on.

Having Christmas take over everything for months on end sucks all of the joy out of actual Christmas in my opinion.

I don't go to big shopping centres, always hated shopping even as a child. I do a little bit of shopping locally in Chislehurst, interpsersed with visit to cafes, and that is pleasant but there are no department stores there (Sainsbury's and Co-op for groceries). Christmas presents I generally buy online.

My mum was an ace shopper, she virtually made a career out of it :-).

I agree it's not joyless at all to find the excess distasteful. I love Christmas and we always have a lovely time. Most of our decorations are 30+ years old and mismatched and we have stuff made by the kids that has seen better days and I get enormous joy from dragging it all out every year.

Black Friday seems to have died a death, in my area anyway, thank goodness. I went to do my usual grocery shop in the morning expecting to have to sharpen my elbows, but it was like normal, the only difference was a pallet of cheap massive TV's by the entrance.

Having Christmas take over everything for months on end sucks all of the joy out of actual Christmas in my opinion.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. There are loads of posts on MN from posters who can't wait to put their Christmas decorations up from mid November onwards.

Why?

I prefer to keep Christmas at Christmas. The early light switch ons, all the tat in the shops from September onwards and the Christmas songs on the radio from 1st December onwards just depress me.

I was 15 when Slade's Merry Christmas Everybody came out, and by now - 46 years later I am sick and tired of hearing it, as I am all the other Christmas songs.

I don't mind Christmas carols because they don't get played on the radio all the time.

I think Christmas decor and items are cute. However there are some definite shit “gifts” out there.

Was in John Lewis recently, they have these “birthday weather” month mugs. They looked nice when displayed together from a distance, but when I started to read them I just cringed. in fact anything April or Aries related tends to be shit compared to other months/starsigns!

I refuse to go to the shops, even supermarkets in Dec. Cant stand the music and the tat

@andpancakesforbreakfast

“I'd rather be a moron than a bitter joyless individual 🤷”

If the cap fits ....

I hate it so much we make our annual trek to warmer climes. I’m very grateful to be able to do this.
We do come back for xmas and my contribution is to treat everyone in the family to the pantomime..and money.
I would prefer to give gifts..but they prefer money so job done.

overnightangel
when people need to insult and try to wind up others to make themselves feel better.. I know who I'd rather be.

Good luck to you, it seems you do need it!

People throw away gift bags

They are reused until they fall apart in my circle!

I agree OP, presents have been culled to kids only and then useful stuff. We go out for an Xmas meal with friends. Family adults just enjoy being together.

I have a drawer in my closet full of gift bags , ribbons or anything to pretty up a gift
Nothing is wasted