Will everyone please STOP the extremely tone deaf 'Christmas Fridge' threads

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I see these multiple threads every single year and they drive me bonkers. The four days leading up to Christmas Day my feed is inundated with all the stuffed fridges, it's a complete and utter disgrace. Not just a few posters but sometimes literally hundreds of you all joining in with these enormous overflowing fridges, it's barbaric and in incredibly poor taste. I have already seen THREE seperate fridge threads today alone, it's scandalous... please people just think about what you are doing by jumping on this bandwagon. Now I take this a bit personally and here is why.... There are people in this world who are starving and many families, mine included, are having to rely on food banks this year just to keep our children fed. As in dippy eggs and soldiers on Xmas eve. Many of us are in a dire state with finances and the pressures of Xmas. The fridge threads are incredibly upsetting and triggering. By all means have a nice christmas dinner with all the trimmings but why post it and rub it in the faces of those less fortunate? They will be very lucky to scrape together a very basic dinner for the family this year?

I so look forward to seeing everybody's gluttonous greed in full swing, fridges stuffed full of obscene amounts of food and alcohol that will most likely go to waste. (And waistlines. The greed of Christmas it's all totally out of control and I despair)
All the cheese boards, cheesecakes, cheeselets, and on and on and on.
Honestly I wish MNHQ would BAN the threads, they cause many people anguish and distress.
It is one day so please keep some perspective or even better, pop a selection pack or some small treats in a collection trolley to help all the fantastic homeless charities and food banks ensure more people can enjoy a sweet treat on christmas day.

(Thanks to my local foodbank and those who kindly donated, at least me and my children have a lovely box of celebrations that I will bring out on Christmas Day for us) 🙂

Christmas dinner can be done very cheaply now. All supermarkets are doing veg at rock bottom prices. You don’t need big expensive turkeys. Just buy what you can afford.

We went through a period in the 90s when our kids were little where we couldn't afford new clothes, Christmas presents for the kids, or Christmas dinner. Thank god SM wasn't a thing then.

There are many threads I hate for various reasons.

But I wouldn't dream of starting a thread telling everyone off and asking them to 'Please STOP posting them'.

That's a whole new level of control freakery right there.

We're all responsible for what we choose to view on the internet.

Expecting others to only post what we feel are acceptable topics is pretty batshit.

Don’t open the threads then🤷‍♂️. My income is obviously significantly higher than yours but I’m not going to feel guilty about that. I’ve been poor too but I never judged anyone with more money than me. I don’t know what you want to achieve here other than look like a jealous fool.

It's cheaper than Invisalign anyway.

I can't say I've noticed any overflowing fridge threads and if I did I wouldn't be interested, not my thing. I have enough bother with my little fridge and freezer and there's only me!

People do over-buy at Christmas, that's always the way but it doesn't mean they are unaware that others are less fortunate, and are generous. Not everyone advertises their generosity, it's best to do it discreetly.

The other thing is there are often guests at Christmas so more is needed.

Personally I'd find such threads and discussions quite boring but there are those who love shopping and sharing what they buy.

But the photos of full fridges can't be seen unless you click on the thread - can they?

True. I bought all my veg in Tesco today for 15p a pack. I left it late for the turkey but managed to get a fresh one in aldi for £14.

I have never posted on the fridge threads. But would you still be offended if I told you I have 4 kids and we have a full fridge each time we go shopping? Also during covid I couldn't feed them on one pack of mince and pasta for the week?

I don't begrudge anyone who has more money than me tbh. I don't think anyone who only wants to shop once this week is insane either.

You leave my salmon terrine out of this 😂

I donate to charities, don't have a stuffed fridge and don't waste any food. YABU.
Don't read the threads. (Whch can't be that prolific as I've never seen one).

No, that’s true enough.
@Mummysof seemed to think op was objecting to what people buy, rather than what they post pictures of on social media.

I think the phrase ‘greedy’ is a bit unnecessary. There are not many comments on any of the three threads you shared, which I wouldn’t have bothered looking at otherwise. Not many pics. The pics there were are of full fridges but Christmas is still several days away so you are looking at someone’s weekly shop. If that is a one or two person household you might have a point, but for a family of four or more with guests for Christmas that’s not really greedy, that’s probably enough for everyone to eat and a few treats or nicer bits.

I say this as someone who still needs to sort the Xmas shop but is not far from the bottom of my overdraft. I still know I’m in a fortunate position as I have family support and a roof over my head.

Op, I think you are in a s**tty position, like too many others and you are feeling upset and sensitive and wanting to vent at others. Please try not to bring others down as you really don’t know what those people may have been through to provide that food for their family. I think it’s perfectly valid to call posts like that tone deaf or distasteful but taking things too far and putting others down is ultimately not going to make you feel any better.

I was at a church community event yesterday that reaches out to deprived families and the thing that struck me most was that many of the people who were struggling the most were there volunteering their time to make it a good experience for the children at the event. Usually food is entirely provided by the church but this time it was an everybody bring what you can situation and everyone did that. Parents make sure the kids eat first etc Shouldn’t have to be a vital community resource in this day and age but things are what they are.

I just want to gently suggest that focusing on what you can offer others even though you have so little yourself and focusing on what you do have and how volunteers have helped you etc will be more positive that dwelling on what others have. I hope that your circumstances change for the better and wish your family a happy Christmas.

You see the title, but you don't have to click on it.

I'm really sorry that you find yourself in this position, and I do get that sometimes the straw that breaks the camel's back can lead to a massive reaction. But given that you don't have to read anything other than the title of these OPs, you're being unreasonable to want them banned.

I've never opened a fridge thread. And I certainly wouldn't if I was in your position.
Similarly I don't open 'here's my house' threads any more, because mumsnetters turn out to be able to live in houses three times the price of mine, and it risks me becoming dissatisfied. I also avoid the threads about what people are buying for their kids/pets.

Don't torture yourself by opening those threads.

No I imagine you didn’t. But that sounds really stressful- and if you HAD posted something ranty and cross, I would hope that people would think “ah maybe she’s struggling, poor lass, that sounds like a lot at Christmas” rather than posting saying “oh really? Well MY child is perfectly well, so I’m going to go and enjoy our Christmas and you should just not click on threads about Christmas”.

Which is the equivalent of what has happened here.

it’s one thing for the OP to post what she did. As it goes, I don’t necessarily agree with her. But people don’t have to be so nasty.

I hope your DC are better this year, and you can enjoy a nicer Christmas together.

OP, You have been served……..from the fridge

If we can't share anything that someone else might not be able to afford, it's really going to reduce what we can talk about.

I think you're being unreasonable. It's on you to avoid stuff you don't want to see, rather than dictate to the whole world.

I haven't seen any of these posts! I think they sound crass, same as pictures of piles of presents, but who are you to tell people to stop being so greedy? How do you know whether those same people donate to food banks, or whether they have 20 people coming for dinner or live moderately every other week of the year and want to enjoy Christmas?

People could just as easily make assumptions about you and your circumstances, OP - assumptions are unpleasant and unfair.

And what about retail and the economy? Would you like people to lose their jobs and be in the same position as you?

I am going to be asking MNHQ to delete this threaad as I am getting all upset now with how cruel people are being to me on both this thread and the fridge ones themselves. There is just no need. This is a spiteful place it really is. And I will be reporting individuals who have been really unnecessarily rude to me when all I am doing is trying to raise awareness of food banks and the gluttony.

But thank you those who told me how to hide threads as I don't know this. Hopefully I never have to see another christmas fridge thread ever again.

🤔

Really? Not sharing what you have is going to reduce what you can talk about?
Who do you feel needs to hear about it that badly?!

My fridge is full because today I went shopping for the week, bought 4 bags each of spuds, carrots and sprouts from Lidl for 5p a bag and have to store it in the fridge until I can put it in the garage. My wardrobe has tins of chocs, nibbles and treats that I’ve collected over the years, and I’ve got a box of wine that was on offer last month. It looks like a lot, but will all get used and last at least a month. I spent £100 today.

My low point was not being able to take my kids to their playgroup Christmas party. The entrance cost was minimal, but I also needed to take presents for the party Santa to give them.

I'm also glad Mumsnet wasn't around then.

Why are you assuming I have lost my job?
Just for your information I have 2 jobs!
People who work can struggle financially and have to rely on food banks this christmas too you know!

🤢