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.

@orangespotatoes

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

It's fun. My giant spiders are patiently awaiting their return into red lit window😁

@HenriettaVioletta

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.

No I didn't. It went to the tip. But as others have pointed out, it was at least 20 years old, no idea exactly how old as we didn't put it in. The one which replaced it will last another 20 years, probably more as if the doors start to look dated or scuffed we'll have them painted or sprayed. Or replace the worksurface rather than the whole thing.

I'm not quite sure what point you're trying to make, Henrietta. That nobody should ever buy anything new, ever? Because that's pretty much impossible. But everyone can be mindful about what they buy and whether it's possible not to buy at all, buy a more ethical alternative, or make decisions about purchases which ensure they are longer-lasting.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

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.

Yawn yawn.

Unless you live in a cave and eat only lentils you can't have an opinion about single-use plastic tat?

OK then.

Someone throwing away all their Christmas decorations every year could easily be contributing less to landfill than you by virtue of not having three children.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss
That criticism always comes up whenever someone questions mindless consumerism, the sheer amount of stuff people buy, or anyone discusses the environmental impact of choices.

It's generally done to try and suggest that unless the person speaking/posting lives a perfectly eco life, they should shut up talking about many other (entirely valid) issues.

I have no issue with people buying Christmas decorations. I do have an issue with the way shops are flooded with tat each Halloween and Christmas and there's an endless push of tat that is often using earth's resources so that something can look pretty for a few weeks.

As far as I'm concerned going to Home Bargains and buying a new set of shitty glittery reindeer 'sculptures' each year, or whatever the latest tat trend is, is as problematic as filling a lounge with expensive candles that sit there unused and getting rid of all the home decor trinkets, or updating all the small appliances/utensils because the colour you have doesn't match the next colour scheme.

It's not about price to me, nor is it expecting people to be perfect, just be a little more mindful of whether the endless tat cycle really brings enough joy to justify the harm to the environmental and those involved in the process of making the tat.

@KingsleyShacklebolt well that poster @IceCreamAndCandyfloss does have a good point there....which you dismissed

Don't forget easter and millions of little fluffy chicken figures sold every year 😁
I probs have them all😂

[quote gardeninggirl68]**@KingsleyShacklebolt* well that poster @IceCreamAndCandyfloss* does have a good point there....which you dismissed[/quote]
Not really.

As @LolaSmiles said better than I could. It's a weak argument trotted out by people who can't think of anything better. If you can't do everything, then there's no point doing anything.

she didnt 'trot it out'

and @lolasmiles is clueless citing a few weeks of looking pretty....its MONTHS

and@lolasmilesis clueless citing a few weeks of looking pretty....its MONTHS
Christmas is one day within one month of the year.

If people want to justify buying lots of tat each and every Christmas then that's up to them, but the idea that nobody should discuss the problems of mass consumption unless they have no children, no car, never go on holiday and live some sort of perfectly self-sufficient existence is nothing more than deflection tactics.

I'd have more respect for people who go out and buy new, cheaply (and likely highly unethically manufacturered) decorations every year if they owned it more and said I want to buy fast decor, I don't care about the environmental or human impact, i feel uncomfortable if other people discuss the impact of this kind of purchasing pattern so would rather not engage with it.

Have to agree, surely stuff could be reused from last year for decorations. So much tat.

Better for purse and environment

@TuftyMarmoset

Someone throwing away all their Christmas decorations every year could easily be contributing less to landfill than you by virtue of not having three children.

Who does that ffs. I box mine and reuse

Nah on mumsnet Christmas lasts 3 months....it's a season not 'just one day'

I'm personally not a big Christmas fan. But we sell it so I work with it in that respect. Big money maker that's for sure

@woodhill I’ve never heard of anyone doing it, just pointing out that by choosing to have a larger family OP would have created a lot of landfill compared to someone with a smaller family - something like Christmas decorations would be a drop in the ocean compared to the landfill associated with one of OP’s children over a lifetime.

@starrynight87

This sounds very judgemental to me. Maybe that 'tat' or elf on the shelf is important to a family, that £1 tinsel really brightens up their house.

I don't think having a hand-made paper chain means it's anymore loved or appreciated.

It's terrible for the environment. I don't care about consumerism in relation to Fred or whatever- but just the sheer amount of crap being manufactured.

It takes massive amounts of resources, energy, water. Pollution from factories, then the plastic is incinerated or dumped. So yes, less consumption is good, as much as we all love sparkly tinsel and flashy new toys etc.

gardeninggirl68
I really enjoy Christmas. It's still at most a few weeks of the year and doesn't justify the level of compulsive shopping that some people seem to think is essential.
I'm not convinced that mountains of tat being pushed every year makes Christmas any more magical, nor am I convinced that most people buying the piles of fashionable festive tat are using their on trend buys each year. If they were then there'd not be the same demand for more and more festive trends for people to buy every year.

Then again, I'm also of the view that I'd rather relatives bought DC one gift that's going to get used lots than spend the same amount of money, if not more, on lots of presents and stocking fillers. That probably also makes me a grinch on here.

I have got the kids to agree that we will have only a few small presents (they don't need any more stuff apart from some books). And use the money instead for a trip to Alton Towers. Everyone happy. A good trick is to ask them to list the presents they got last year to remind yourself most of it is forgotten.

@Ponoka7

"Absolutely no need to buy it new though."

Do posters understand that we rely on people spending money in our society to provide jobs and services?

We closed the coal mines- never too late for some economic restructuring. Replaced plastic tat industries with something else.

Coal mines still very much exists. There is a new one being built, it was in news few years back. There is still coal demand. I think they just function bit differently to the ones in 70s etc.

So are there three groups of people? Those who don't buy tat because it's waste if money/bad for the environment/ugly despite being able to afford it.

Those who would buy it but don't because it's that or paying for the electricity.

Those who can't wait to add to their already massive collection because it's fun and they gave plenty of disposable income to spend it in what they want.

If that was the case, it wouldn't be so bad, sadly I expect there are families who will prioritise that rubbish over saving for emergencies and then will cry when their washing machine gives up just before Xmas.

That's when it's much of an issue.

sadly I expect there are families who will prioritise that rubbish over saving for emergencies and then will cry when their washing machine gives up just before Xmas.

Unless these people have some kind of disability affecting their mental capacity (and support isn't provided), I just can't muster sympathy for this group

I have heard stories of people throwing out their Christmas trees with its decorations on because they want to buy new for the next year are too lazy to take them off

And then you get the people who replace their kitchen every 3-4 years.

I use things until they break, and then I get rid. We moved into our house in 2003 and still have the same kitchen units.

vivainsomnia
I think there's probably a 4th group: people who need to buy the cheaper decorations/choose to buy cheaper decorations because they're not as environmentally aware, but will use them until they break. This group probably won't be buying shitty glitter dipped llama figurines, or whatever the latest Christmas tat trend is though.

I've still got some tat baubles from when I first lived alone. When they break, they break and I'm not replacing them, but when I bought them to be honest I didn't know much about the environmental and human cost of cheap stuff.

glitter dipped llama figurines

Furiously googling

DH and I were talking about this last night. We've got our old deccies in the loft which will do. We're not bothered about presents, and if we have to have a roast chicken for Christmas, then fine. We won't starve and we won't go without. People truly go Christmas-zilla and it's such a waste.