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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Were Christmas Eve boxes not enough?!

307 replies

AnnLouiseB · 15/02/2021 17:27

I’ve just seen these advertised on Facebook. Is this a thing now? Must we have a cutesy box for every single calendar event? Where are people keeping these crates as they endlessly accumulate?

Were Christmas Eve boxes not enough?!
OP posts:
SmallPrawnEnergy · 15/02/2021 20:43

@MessagesKeepGettingClearer

YANBU.

Consumerism at its greatest. Then we wonder why so many people are in debt...

And why were drowning in plastic and waste in landfills. It’s grim.
Thesearmsofmine · 15/02/2021 20:48

Easter baskets have been around for a long time, I got one in the 80’s and I remember making them from card at school and filling with shredded paper and little eggs.
My dc have a reusable fabric bag each at Easter, it fits their egg and a few smaller eggs in plus a book or bath bomb or small Lego set.

MrsMariaReynolds · 15/02/2021 20:48

We've always had Easter baskets in tiny voice America. They don't do mahoosive sized eggs there, just lots of smallish Easter treats--mini eggs, jelly beans, chocolate bunnies and marshmallow Peeps. Baskets contain them all neatly.

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 15/02/2021 20:50

Why do we need endless rubbish for everything?

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 15/02/2021 20:54

I dont know. Father Christmas, the tooth fairy, the easter bunny. Todays children are going to grow up soft. When I was a kid I had Strewwelpeter and the brothers Grimm.

VettiyaIruken · 15/02/2021 20:57

No, we don't have to, only if we want to.

GeordieGreigsButtButtZoom · 15/02/2021 21:06

[quote theleafandnotthetree]@GeordieGreigsButtButtZoom. Of course the fate of humanity doesn't rest on the bleeding Easter boxes but as I said before it's the cumulative effect of ALL of the thousands of purchases like these which yes, do largely fall into the completely unnecessary category that do indeed have an impact over time and not just environmentally either. It is a wider CULTURE of materialism and 'buying to feel good/better' that is problematic. No one said anything about not buying any gifts at Christmas - although I see no need for any at Easter bar a bit of chocolate in some form - the point is that it is gone well beyond just a few gifts for children who for the most part already have so very much. One of the things I like about my children getting older is that I really hated the sheer amount of stuff that younger children seemed to acquire even if you were relatively modest yourself, from other family members, from birthday parties, even from school. I am absolutely not in sackcloth and ashes by any means and my children have probably been spoilt plenty along the way but it's the sheer scale and relentlessness of it that is problematic[/quote]
But again...while the point about consumerism and waste is a good one, why do I never see people on here levelling it at "middle class" things like large houses or foreign holidays or expensive tech? It's always levelled at actually really very minor stuff, like chocolates and books at Easter. When you go into "it's the cumulative effect" argument, you're not wrong, but assuming there is room for SOME gifts and fun (is there? And how much is acceptable?), it's really hard to see why one would give a reusable box of edible and biodegradable goods for a special occasion so much of the "real families value each other for who they are" and "oh, it's such a terrible wealth divide" sentiment. Sure, it's cumulative, but this is surely one of the most minor parts of it. Food and books in a reusable box, once or twice a year. Is that really where our society is falling down? People can't do this sensibly?

The reaction is not proportionate. It's a massive guilt trip about VALUING PEOPLE on a minor, relatively affordable commodity that actually leaves very little waste, if any. Not like gas guzzlers, huge houses and expensive devices, but nobody's getting passionately minimalist and environmental about those.

theleafandnotthetree · 15/02/2021 21:06

There's another thread going at the moment about the sacrifices people are making to try and make sure the environment doesn't totally go to hell in a handcart - and I mean real sacrifices including not having children of their own - and there's a substantial proportion on this thread who are parents who are all 'nothing to see here', party on, 'oooh I'll have some of that' and are in fact defensive about indulging in this kind of nonsense cause you know, it's for the kids. The best gift we could give them is to start giving a rats ass and roll back on at least some of it, not add to it.

user1471538283 · 15/02/2021 21:11

When my DS was younger I would get him an egg and a gift. We would do the odd egg hunt. So I suppose that kind of adds up to this?

But it's so much stuff all the time.

Maddison12 · 15/02/2021 21:11

@BrumBoo
Oh, same as anyone who's different to them is beneath them, when they refer to the "grey crushed velvet brigade" or the "lolling huns brigade" Hmm

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 15/02/2021 21:12

No, we don't have to, only if we want to.

But why do we want to? What void do we fill with them?

randomer · 15/02/2021 21:14

They are shit. Landfill.

dani3 · 15/02/2021 21:16

Why do people get so invested in stuff like this? You don't have to participate if you don't want to! I made much more of valentines than I normally would and we had the best weekend we've had in ages. I love any excuse for a celebration, big or small. I'm not doing it to be competitive,I do it because it makes me happy and an added bonus was that I supported several small businesses. Some of my friends did similar to me, some did less, some did nothing, some did more! That's fine, everyone is different but I don't sneer at them and roll my eyes and think god you're so OTT, nor do I question why some don't get involved- maybe they don't want to, maybe they seen it as a waste, that's entirely their choice. I can't wait to celebrate Easter and I'm already planning things!

Thislittlefinger123 · 15/02/2021 21:18

*This has been the trajectory since the end of the 19th century. Gifts went from being rare, even at Christmas, to being required for more and more occasions, more of them, and more expensive.

It's all to drive the consumer machine. If more isn't sold than last year, GDP doesn't go up. Can't have that.

That's the real objection, IMO. Yes, they can be sweet, and fun, even good quality items, but gods, do we really need more stuff, or to use more resources? Can we enjoy a holiday that doesn't involve getting gifts or stuff?*

Yep. The planet is screwed and people MUST HAVE MORE STUFF endlessly 😕 If you question it you're shouted down that's it's only a bit of stuff 🙄

SmokedDuck · 15/02/2021 21:19

But again...while the point about consumerism and waste is a good one, why do I never see people on here levelling it at "middle class" things like large houses or foreign holidays or expensive tech?

People do make mention of many of those things. Lots of people talk about how the ubiquity of having holidays by plane every year (or even more often) is a real problem. Always some people say they are spoilports who just don't want people to enjoy themselves.

People make complaints about tech, particularly how often it gets replaced, but also questioning how useful it really is - usually some people say they are luddites or says they are paranoid and anyway you have to keep up with the times.

Houses - not so much - but I think mainly because differences in house sizes are not in most cases huge, people's housing needs differ significantly, and houses are ideally permanent and will continue to serve a necessary function rather than being consumables with little or no utility.

But at least tech has some real purpose, and houses are necessities in some form.

The really rotten thing about a lot of the consumable gift stuff is that it's largely totally useless, it's stuff for the sake of stuff. It creates this need to up the ante every year - we can see the trajectory over the last century or two centuries, and there is no logical stopping point. The gifts themselves actually become less satisfying the more of them there are and create a psychological need to acquire to feel happy or fulfilled. It's a system built to create people who are greedy but don't even realise their appetites are artificially created. Much of it is invented, not to fulfil any real function, but simply to create something to sell. They are marketing stunts.

And the fact that it is available to almost everyone makes it worse than one might think, because even small bits of junk, bought by everyone, can have a big impact.

annieannietomjoe · 15/02/2021 21:21

No...more rubbish for landfill

MistleTOEboughski · 15/02/2021 21:21

It's pancake day Eve and we have just opened our pancake day boxes containing new PJs, a whisk and a personalised jar of nutella. Now leaving a glass of gin for Father Pancake and making the pancake mixture.
Only joking! or am I?

Thesearmsofmine · 15/02/2021 21:25

@MistleTOEboughski

It's pancake day Eve and we have just opened our pancake day boxes containing new PJs, a whisk and a personalised jar of nutella. Now leaving a glass of gin for Father Pancake and making the pancake mixture. Only joking! or am I?
Grin You might start a trend!
GeordieGreigsButtButtZoom · 15/02/2021 21:31

a lot of the consumable gift stuff is that it's largely totally useless, it's stuff for the sake of stuff

It's chocolate, books and a cuddly toy for Easter or a DVD/pyjamas for Christmas. The box is reusable. Everything inside is edible or biodegradable/recyclable. I suppose there are the chocolate wrappers, but nobody seems to care about those if you don't present the chocolate in a box. As far as waste mountains go, it's practically flat. If you do a baked ham for Easter, that's probably worse for the planet.

I'm quite sure that if I bought the exact same amount of chocolate and hid it in the garden for an egg hunt, nobody would care. Stick it in a box with a book and it's consumerist hell?

If you say you've seen discussions that reach the depth and fervour about houses, tech and so on that these boxes do, well...I haven't. And yes, tech is necessary, but many households have way more of it and use far more gas and electricity than they "need"...and anyway, doesn't everyone have a reason why their preferred means of spending that isn't necessary for preserving life and limb is ok?

We fucked the planet long before this. We absolutely need to do something, but chocolates and books in a box on Easter aren't the reason the planet is in trouble. If I didn't know better, I'd think all these gas guzzling jet setters who need tech and big houses and tons of energy use and so on were trying to deflect focus from their own wastefulness on to the smaller, more affordable stuff that isn't prized by the middle classes...

theleafandnotthetree · 15/02/2021 21:38

@SmokedDuck, excellent post. You said exactly what I would have said in response to that point, only better! I think that is such a good point, the kind of stuff we are talking about here is, even by the standards of modern consumerism a completely pointless waste of resources, bringing the most fleeting moment of 'oh that's nice' and nothing else. The vast majority of us in our everyday life uses far more resources than the planet can sustain or that is 'fair', when we look at the global picture. If we were honest, most of us would agree that is true in terms of our housing, heating, travel, clothing etc. but arguably those things are at least necessary to varying degrees. So surely it behoves us to not add MORE junk to the pile so blithely. We can of course have our treats and our gifts but just not so wastefully and heedlessly

Blubell281 · 15/02/2021 21:42

It's not truly for the kids is it? Its for Instagram likes. That's what I cant stand about it.

ConkerBonkers · 15/02/2021 21:48

I really like them, wish someone was selling them near me :)

AliceMcK · 15/02/2021 21:51

@AnnLouiseB

These are for Easter, so on the main event. These are to Christmas what a Santa Sack/Stocking is.

I guess this is what I find odd - I don’t recall Easter ever being an occasion for gifts etc. We would always have a big family lunch and Easter eggs with an Easter egg hunt at home, but the idea of a box of gifts is totally alien to me. Prepared to be told that I’m in the minority with that though!

I agree with you OP it was never a big thing unless you were Catholic then it was more about church services and events, but it’s definitely become a thing these days. Every single occasion is a “thing” just like in the states.

Saying all that, my DCs have already had 3 Easter eggs each this last couple of weeks, ones had covid and we’ve been in isolation so I bought a lode online to treat them and myself 😋

theleafandnotthetree · 15/02/2021 21:51

@MistleTOEboughski

It's pancake day Eve and we have just opened our pancake day boxes containing new PJs, a whisk and a personalised jar of nutella. Now leaving a glass of gin for Father Pancake and making the pancake mixture. Only joking! or am I?
Through in a Lenten Advent calendar and I reckon you're on to something. God help us all
truthisalie · 15/02/2021 21:56

Just more rubbish to fill up the landfill.