Can we please just stop with the Christmas tat?
Hideous novelty Christmas socks, hideous novelty Christmas tie, hideous novelty Christmas jumper….Oooooh, you’re really spoiling us, Ambassador. Not. Can we have an amnesty on all of it this year, please?
There are so many tatty novelty Christmas gifts given out every year, and very little of it has actually been requested by the recipient. A few days later it isn’t Christmas any more, and they’re relegated to the back of a drawer, possibly never to be worn or used again (or at all), or thrown straight out.
Most of this tat is going to end up in landfill. It’s neither useful or beautiful, and serves no genuine function. To me this represents a terrible waste, and a missed opportunity. Can we please give up on ugly-giftmageddon and stop buying it for each other?
Much of it’s bought in a panic because the buyer can’t think of anything else to get for their giftee. How about taking a deep breath and buying something they might really like instead? Maybe something they might still want to use in a month or two’s time, when the weather can be bitterly cold? There are always great gift guides around in November and December, whatever your budget, so it’s easy enough to be inspired.
The one exception is the charity jumpers. Okay, they’re doing something good for a cause at the end of the day. Although – how about this for a crazy idea – maybe we could simply cut out the middle-tat and, er, donate some money directly instead, making sure the charity gets their gift aid too. Just putting that out there (along with the bag for the charity shop full of gross socks covered in red-nosed reindeer).
Back in the day, novelty Christmas jumpers were knitted for you by some out of touch Auntie. Ill fitting, scratchy, and stylistically crap. You wore them on the day so as not to hurt her feelings, or because your parents made you wear them by the power of bribery or threats. You hoped fervently that none of your friends would see you looking so profoundly uncool. If they did see you, and had been forced into a similar monstrosity themselves, your eyes would meet in mournful solidarity. Chin up, mate, it’s nearly over.
Don’t be Auntie Dee, people. Get them something good instead, something with a longer shelf life. Think about cost per wear, and please don’t waste your hard-earned money making grown men look like creepy, crappy polyester elves – or worse.
Em-bah-go humbug!
I only bought Christmas themed items twice, both times for my brother. He wore his M&Ms Christmas socks until they fell apart and absolutely loves his Saxophoning Santa tie (also wears it every year).
I don’t get the “Christmas-Jumper-Thing” as I grew up in Germany and we don’t have that there.
My family decided not to do Christmas presents as there are no children in the family at the moment and we really would either buy stuff for the sake of giving something or exchange money.
The only exception is if you made something yourself. I made calendars this year with unusual London pictures. Okay, I put the pictures online and sent it off to be printed. But all in all it was less than a third of what I usually spent.
I despair at the shelves marked as ‘Gifts’ – in other words, useless stuff nobody wants or needs, which is only produced to feed the crazy obligation to give a present to people who probably have everything already.
Gradually over the years I have agreed with family and friends that we’re not going to continue this charade, and now I only buy presents for my partner.
I like being Scrooge 🙂