Just stop all this crap buying?

[PassingStranger]

Woman in front of me today at shop buying a load of secret santa stuff this morning. I heard her telling the assistant. She also mentioned some of it was for a lucky dip. It was all sweets and chocolate too.

Can people not make a stand now and refuse to get sucked into all this crap.

Just because of a fairytale about a virgin birth sometime in December possibly the whole countries been brainwashed for years,into thinking people have got to have presents and secret santas and lucky díps etc?

Does anyone actually need any of this stuff anyway and more chocolate?
Will the world end if we start to push back?

Its so heavily entrenched into people's minds, they feel its Just something they must do.

I look forward to the day more people start to reject these things and think for themselves?

Is this really want I want to do or am im doing it because its something I have always done?

Do people really need what i am buying?
Martin Lewis seems to be on track with it.
Its ugly.

That is true as well. But I think ppl find it hard not to. Especially if others put pressure .

Maybe she had the right idea. Social obligation fulfilled in one shopping trip, cost per family member was very low, nobody got bucket loads of cheap imported tat. Probably some of those tubs still circulating school raffles, though by modern standards it's probably quite good chocolate now

If you're getting this upset about a few sweet treats OP it's time to out your phone down and go for a walk.

YANBU. I try not to get sucked in but it's hard. We re-use decorations year-on-year. I love getting out the ones the now-teen DC made at nursery and primary school. We buy one tree decoration each year, usually on holiday. Our extended family does a secret Santa. DH and the DC get clothes, books, school supplies, chocolate and something they really want. It's not miserable and it's not piles of tat.

October last year my sil and bil asked their two children to list some of the gifts they received Christmas 2023. They couldn’t remember a single thing so they rewrapped them and gave it to them last Christmas. They intend to do the same this year - not with the exact same gifts but with other stuff received from family members or birthdays. They are not at all tight but also like you fed up with the overconsumption of it. They have always been big on volunteering and this year started taking the kids with them.

When they’re old enough to start remembering they are going to say that there'll be little token gifts but will prioritise trips and experiences throughout the year. Decembers will be heavily focused on help those in need (they volunteer regularly but will do a lot more during the festive season to counter the consumerism.)

@estrogone
People still had brilliant Christmas’s before tat though.

The problem is too much of anything devalues it. That’s why I think it’s problematic to start Christmas in November . It’s hard to stay celebratory, embrace the spirit of Christmas in the wrong season.!

Please tell us which ones so I know what is considered inferior? 🤣

There's always one who thinks unless you are living in a cave and eating berries then you have no place to comment. Total lack of critical thinking.

I think the issues can arise when people feel the need to spend a certain amount of money, or buy presents for people they barely see one year to the next.
People I think expected gifts to be bigger, or more expensive, from the 1980's onwards.
My aunts used to give me a chocolate stocking when I was a child, or as I aged a tin of biscuits. I can only imagine the shock if I gave my nieces and nephews a tin of biscuits now.

Agree. It's all so stressful too .

Well I don't like your attitude towards the religious side of it.

But I do think that overconsumption is horrible for the environment. I think Christmas used to be simpler and actually happier. The increased expectations just add stress for a lot of people.

Our Christmas tends not to be Instagram worthy but more Peter Kay emergency chairs type.

Me too. Obviously I have no issue with gifting but I do have an issue with the amount of stuff that gets bought that never gets any use. We’re all guilty of it (me included)

all adults get some kind of nice food/wine presents from me these days. Gifting consumables seems less bad somehow. I just make sure it’s nice stuff that will get consumed (even if not by the actual recipient!)

I only buy things that I know my family will appreciate and use no point in buying lots of crap anyway the best thing you can give is time - my granddaughter asked me to teach her how to knit wow that was special she’s only 7 my grandson asks me questions I don’t have answers to but I spend time with him looking for the answers it’s called love

When I first moved to Germany, I missed the frenzy of the Christmases I had known in the UK.

Now, I‘ve come to appreciate the intentionality of how it’s celebrated. The lantern procession for St Martin‘s Day in November. The Advent Candles being lit one by one on the four advent Sundays.

St Nicholas Day on 6th December, where Nikolaus brings each child one present. A lot of businesses have a Nikolaus in the building with a sack of chocolate, satsumas and nuts. The village bank sponsors a set of colouring pencils for each child at the village school, which are placed in their outdoor shoes to be discovered at break. My employer dresses up a trainee as Nikolaus and asks all participating parents to choose a book for their child from the online ordering system from their local independent bookshop. The vicar dresses up as Nikolaus and the Kindergarten kids have to find him in the forest.

The local primary school has a day of baking and crafts - presents to take home for parents and enough biscuits so the children get one every day in their breakfast break.

There‘s a live advent calendar where families and businesses/ public buildings take it in turn to decorate and present a window, while serving hot punch and biscuits and reading out a Christmas story or reflection to the visitors congregating outside.

It‘s just so intentional and not about buying.

So, I‘m off to bake Christmas biscuits with DS.

Oh OP ! You have been inside my head stealing my thoughts. Blinkin'well said... 🫶

As a school caretaker I used to see all the tat teachers had been given piled up in bin bags in January . Too much and too crap ...don't bother. Give your favourite teacher a card with your honest sentiments in it instead.

@ALittleDropOfRain Frenzy is the perfect term for it.

None of us actually need anything, OP, as we will all end up dust. God forbid we find a but if enjoyment in the meantime, eh?

You're directing your anger at the wrong people anyway.

You lost me when you started mocking Christian beliefs.

If you don't want to join in then don't join in.

When I was at work I was a member of multiple teams, when those teams suggested secret santa, I joined in the main one and not the others. Some people were of different religions and some joined in and some didn't. BUT, they didn't act like Scrooge and spoil it for everyone else.

The point of secret santa is to reduce the amount of money spent. One present for one person instead of one for everyone. It's easy to say you don't want to do it if it's not for you.

We did the same with Christmas cards for work, emails sent around saying 'not doing cards this year'. Most people contributed something to their favourite charities instead. Everyone benefits and no-one minds if they don't get a card but can send them if they like.

It's each to their own.

But it’s chocolate so it’s going to get eaten ? What’s the problem? I love getting little bits like chocolate and socks for Xmas!
I bought my baby twins second hand toys for Xmas as so many toys end up wasted but I’ve bought some new plastic toys to donate….is that bad?
christmas is a time for giving and it’s not like she was buying a loaf of novelty tat that won’t be used

@PassingStranger It’s fair to question Christmas consumerism, but calling the Nativity a “fairytale” is disrespectful to Christians. You can criticise the pressure to buy things without dismissing others’ beliefs.

You had an advent calender? My mother always refused to buy one - we did have chocolates on the tree though and they rarely made it to Xmas day

Maybe, but I think calling Christmas out as a fairy tale is fair enough, it isn't disrespectful to fundamentally call it out. Christians are usually pretty solid in their beliefs. But I think it's far more likely there are other life forms out there than that some sort of deity exists . . ..

So glad I never bought my teachers anything. Also glad I never bought my children's teachers anything. Now glad that my daughter never buys her children's teachers anything.

I do feel sorry for all those kids and parents who bother to buy their teachers something only for it to be discarded as tat.

Perhaps you could actually send letters out to your students' parents telling them to please not buy you anything? Save them money and you problems with getting ever more tat!