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Original poster

Who honestly enjoys Christmas fairs?

54 replies

TootTheAbsoluteLoon · 01/12/2007 16:41

They all seem to be rather depressing affairs full of lurid sweets, cheap plastic things, non-fairtrade chocolate and toys and animal-tested toiletries.
And people singing dirges - not even real carols - too close to the damn microphone. People were wincing!
The worst thing is that so many people make so much effort. How could it be better?

OP posts:
Original poster
TootTheAbsoluteLoon · 01/12/2007 17:06

Maybe I started this thread all wrong.
I think it's a shame that there aren't more stalls with handmade things.
I think it's a shame about all the non-fairtrade chocolate and sweets because people are being exploited.
I think it's a shame about the cheap plastic toys - again, people are being expoloited and they are also not environmentally friendly.
I think it's a shame when there is no magical atmosphere.
And that so many people put in so much effort and often sell very little.
There.

OP posts:
Original poster
TootTheAbsoluteLoon · 01/12/2007 17:07

That sounds good MamaG.

OP posts:
filthymindedvixen · 01/12/2007 17:28

Santa had fairtrade pressies for the kids this year at ours....[ponce]
Ds won me lots of wine

I ended up spending a fortune on winning my own old tat back though...

I only enjoy the school xmas fair tbh.

AMerryScot · 01/12/2007 17:31

We had ours today and it was surprisingly pleasant

Mercy · 01/12/2007 17:36

Toot, I know waht you mean!

A few years ago our local council organised a Christmas Fair. It was such a flop that they've never dared attempt another one.

As a friend said it was 'an example of the best of British amatuerishness'

cheeset · 01/12/2007 17:39

I hate them. so boring and too much of a squeeze.Kids going one way, you trailing after them. I always buy the raffle tickets so I contribute that way.

ssd · 01/12/2007 17:40

can't stand them

up there with craft fairs and garden centres

Judy1234 · 01/12/2007 17:43

I am in year 20 of children's fairs but I don't go. The novelty wore off a while back. I usually try to find someone who will take the youngest to theirs if they choose to go to it.

Indith · 01/12/2007 17:51

Went to ours today, It was very busy (as always). It is the annual city one. Proof that not all kids like them, about 2 seconds after going in we heard a kid say "mum can we go out now this is crap"

Ours isn't full of tat...it is just full of...well tat. Loads of nice carved wooden stuff, pretty beaded silver jewellery etc but never anything that I actually want to buy as presents. There was a very nice place selling beautiful cloth books though and we got something for a friend's dd.

gscrym · 01/12/2007 17:54

I went to my first one last night. There was quite a lot of franchise stalls (candles, cards, virgin vie etc). The cake stall was okay but it was absolutely mobbed and that just makes me really uneasy so I left after half an hour. DS didn't mind because he'd had his face painted and seen santa so his work was done.

Turkeyandsproutsx3 · 01/12/2007 17:54

ours today FAB - totally manic

motherinferior · 01/12/2007 18:14

I am making gingerbread with fair traded ginger for the school one next week.

motherinferior · 01/12/2007 18:15

(And I don't see anything odd about objecting to non-fairly-traded chocolate. Am giving all adults fair traded choc this Christmas.)

FrannyandZooey · 01/12/2007 18:27

Oh don't, I am doing the singing at one next week and I bet it does sound like a dirge and people will wince

I am sure there are ways they could be better than the one you went to today TooT - could you get involved for next year as Peachy suggests? I am sure half of it is just because that is the way it has always been done, and no-one has considered doing fair trade bobs or whatever

if a church is involved they are often very open to idea of fairtrade I find - our church hall encourages all users to have fairtrade refreshments (I don't think anyone actually does except me sometimes, but the support for the idea is there)

yurt1 · 01/12/2007 18:32

ha ha - cod said what I was thinking (poncey post) it was the gasp at non fairtrade chocolate that did it for me. I choked on my cup of tea. PMSL.

MrsCarrot · 01/12/2007 18:49

The only Christmas fair I'm aware of here is the one with a Waltzer although I think they have a French market on at the moment with festive stuff.

The school does one and I can honestly say I would rather chew off my hand than go. I helped out in reception a few years ago but since then I have been one of those irritating mothers that develops the ability to disapparate as soon as The Mother With The List is in view.

'The whole thing will have to be cancelled if we don't get more parent helpers', they sing, head tilted to one side with a fixed smile. Inwardly I think, YES, cancel, mwha ha ha, instead I say, 'oh, sorry, I don't think I'm actually coming this time, I will be at home with a glass of wine I would otherwise', then I send DH.

PrettyCandles · 01/12/2007 18:56

You should come to our town fair. It's luverly. No, really it is.

And we enjoyed yesterday's school fair, too. There wasn't any singing though. Shame, as the infant school choir won a cup last summer.

aviatrix · 01/12/2007 19:12

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Peachy · 01/12/2007 19:32

I give fair traded chocolate, and also campaign against slavery

But if its a volunteer run one based on donations as ours is you can't dictate (the kids come in school uniform and pay with chocolate)

As this wasn't a school one I don't know the set up but quite often local firms will donate chocolate etc to these things

FWIW unbless its a school one which is kinda obligatory, well then erm- don't go? Or maybe help them out by trying to source a donot of fair trade choc (though the obv issue with that is its ahrd to give away fairtrade stuff because of the whole fair price fair deal ethos)

niceglasses · 01/12/2007 19:42

Dcs don't enjoy them?? God, mine love all that tat. The more tat the better.....Do kids really care if the chocs are fairtrade? Don't think so...

I love em as well tbh. Its the Father Tedness of it all I love.

BBBee · 01/12/2007 19:52

if they are done well they are lovely and christmassy but if they are done badly they are disappointing and miserable. Think you got a bad one. I love school ones though - absolutely adore them.

BTW my son will only eat fairtrade chocolate not because he is a ponce but because he is cool.

One day they won;t believe there was a time when you could get chocolate that wasn't fairtrade.

aviatrix · 01/12/2007 20:29

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seb1 · 01/12/2007 20:35

We went kids loved it, had their faces painted, bought home baking, saw santa and had a cuppa in the tearoom and it is all for the local hospice.

MamaG · 01/12/2007 22:55

Sorry I took the piss toot

lilolilbethlehem · 01/12/2007 23:12

I organised our school Christmas fair for more years than I'd care to remember. You can never please all of the people all of the time. If you don't like the fair you went to (school, community or otherwise) then either put your spare time where your mouth is or shut up. A bit blunt, but it completely pisses me off when people moan and groan about other people's fundraising efforts without putting an ounce of effort in themselves.