Lack of Christmas tat might not be a bad thing?

[KingsleyShacklebolt]

News this morning about all those containers stuck at Felixstowe from Asia, and similar problems at ports in the US which are now working overnight to clear the backlog.

These aren't shipping containers with food, it's all the other toys, decorations and associated tat which line the shelves of supermarkets and places like Home Bargains earlier every year.

Maybe if people have a year where they can't buy tinsel, or a musical Santa which drops its trousers, or Christmas bedding, or elves on shelves, or any of the other crap, they will maybe realise that you can have a brilliant Christmas with last year's decorations, or homemade decorations, or charity shop decorations? Consumerism at Christmas has got WAY out of control and this might force a halt to the buy buy buy mentality, focused on single use plastic and cheaply made rubbish from China.

AutumnAlmanack
I have some relatives who are the same. I suggest that DC are given fewer gifts as they don't need lots. I also say to the relatives that I'd much rather have one item that I will use than lots of small fillers that might not get used.

Without fail, this message is lost and there's usually some reference to DH and I spending a fortune on things. I've tried pointing out that one item that costs £30 is the same amount of money as assorted items totalling £30 that won't get used but it hasn't gone in. I think the relative likes the feeling of getting a lot for their money and perceiving a good deal.

@Hushpuppy1

Also agree with PP saying we need a rethink of our global economy since our (the west) consumption of tat (here in the US we call it crap) has helped lift millions of people, particularly in China, out of poverty. What would happen to the economy if everyone overnight became minimalist and environmentally conscious and only purchased things they absolutely needed? As Paul Krugman says (paraphrasing) “my spending is your income and your spending is my income”.

Trouble is it also contributes to poorer societies suffering from climate issues so either way they get hit hardest

@AutumnAlmanack

I totally agree, OP. DH's grandchildren get mountains and mountains of plastic toys for Christmas (we have already been sent a list of what they want this year!!); I have suggested that it might be a good idea to give them one toy each and then something useful which they can keep, such as jewellery, watches, Premium Bonds, etc. But I am told 'but they like TOYS'! Needless to say, most of the toys have been discarded and forgotten about by Boxing Day. Such a terrible waste.

To be fair, although Premium Bonds are a good idea, jewellery is a terrible present for a child young enough to still want toys - they will have to wait years to wear it, by which time it will almost definitely not be to their taste but yet imbued with huge sentimental value so that they are terrified of losing it, so it never gets used at all. Teens and adults don't really wear watches nowadays either - the clock is on their phone and the "watch" on their wrist is a fitness tracker (which pairs to a phone and which you can't really save as it will become obsolete). Perhaps get them books if you don't like plastic waste?

Yep. Double whammy. The tat pollutes the environment and the creation of the tat pollutes the environment.

Not sure why my post was deleted by Mumsnet. Some posters on here are judgemental snobs!

What did you say?

@seaandsandcastles

How wasteful. And shallow.

No, it’s not wasteful or shallow. They get lovingly used for a year.

Yeah you're clearly on a wind up.

Nobody's that dim and shallow.

Oh I hope so! I usually add a bauble each year but we've got one from my childhood, some of my DGMs and some over the years. I do like a tree but the rest of it is far too much clutter for me

Like with most things, there are trends

Last few years has been stags, gonks and 'pink'. Just been in b and m with ds this afternoon and had a look down seasonal aisles

@AutumnAlmanack

I totally agree, OP. DH's grandchildren get mountains and mountains of plastic toys for Christmas (we have already been sent a list of what they want this year!!); I have suggested that it might be a good idea to give them one toy each and then something useful which they can keep, such as jewellery, watches, Premium Bonds, etc. But I am told 'but they like TOYS'! Needless to say, most of the toys have been discarded and forgotten about by Boxing Day. Such a terrible waste.

My kids wouldn't be impressed by jewellery or premium bonds either, to be honest.

But a gift card for Starbucks or Pizza Hut, cinema vouchers, days out vouchers or similar always go down very well.

Meh.

Do you know where all your lovely stuff you've kept for years will go when you die OP? And your lovely kitchen that you paid thousands for?

It'll go into a skip. And then into landfill.

Well hopefully that'll be quite some time yet.

And I'd like to think that my kids will do as my siblings and I did when my parents died - keep some of it, give some of it away, charity shop a lot of it. Only a few bags of stuff went to the tip.

I think we're in for lots of sad face stories when people can't get hold of stuff that is available in a normal year. Luckily my kids are too old for toys but I think that there will be lots of cheeky fuckers selling this years must have toys at insane prices and it won't be just one or two items like in normal years. There will be people who get into debt because they've paid over the odds for items that will return eventually but they are consumed by guilt if they don't make the Xmas magic (piles of gifts) happen.

If you have a child probably a good idea to ask them what they'd like sooner rather than later- maybe make this a October half term rather than December activity.

You're a consumer. You just tell yourself you're different. Look at the 70m square area around you and make an inventory of all the stuff in it. Now write a list of all of those items that are necessary for your survival. Anything that's not on your list but is on your inventory is another nail in the coffin of this planet. Happy Xmas OP.

We're all consumers. Nobody is only ever buying stuff which is essential for their direct survival.

But their consuming mindfully and trying to shop ethically or reduce your impact, and embracing all things single-use. Obviously.

Makes no odds to that polar bear floating on the chunk of ice everyone was emoting over a couple of years ago. Your expensive plastic takes just as long to biodegrade as your family's cheap plastic. And your new kitchen will be rotting in landfill for as long as the old perfectly good kitchen you chucked in there a couple of years back, when the new owner of the house that's now yours rips it out.

@Neonplant

Wow your privlidge is showing.

Sometimes of that cheep stuff is all many families can afford for gifts or to make it feel like Christmas. Life is hard enough for these families let people enjoy Christmas.

Your post is exactly what is wrong with environmental activism at the moment. It's not intersectional and doesn't seem to understand people aren't coming from the same security and privlidge.

Exactly this. Not everyone has family heirloom decorations or can afford expensive glass or wooden ornaments. Posters on here are basically looking down their noses at people they perceive to be tacky.

@HenriettaVioletta

Makes no odds to that polar bear floating on the chunk of ice everyone was emoting over a couple of years ago. Your expensive plastic takes just as long to biodegrade as your family's cheap plastic. And your new kitchen will be rotting in landfill for as long as the old perfectly good kitchen you chucked in there a couple of years back, when the new owner of the house that's now yours rips it out.

Frequency matters?

Every year v every twenty

I think it's great. The country needs to rein it in. I hope all the tacky piles of presents a la Instagram stop as well.

Christmas shouldn't be about plastic tat and unwanted gifts which end up in landfill or the charity shops.

Kind of wasteful to throw a whole kitchen away though isn't it.

Unless OP took it to a charity shop.

Did you take your old kitchen to a charity shop OP?

I guess at least you didn't throw an ornament away.

Swear to god sometimes i think charity shops live just off MNetter's stuff since every piece of crap is apparently "donated"😂

Tbh if people have stressful and wasteful Christmas full of tat, debt and guilt, it's purely their own fault and I have no sympathy.

The problem is if it doesn’t get sold for Christmas it’ll probably all go straight to landfill.

Is it just Christmas you are against re the environment or everything? Presumably you don’t have children, drove a car, go abroad etc of you are so worried about others buying decorations.

I agree OP. I'm dismayed at all the Halloween decorations too. Christmas i understand a little more, but Halloween? Fuck off.