Is it time to ban Christmas presents? Blog and poll discussion

meanastheycome

I could not agree more with everything written. I personally have spoken to some family members and we have agree to just spend the time over christmas together as a family
without the need to buy each other something that neither of us particularly want and either of us can ill afford. Hopefully i can communicate with other members of my family and friends to agree to do this also. But some call me scrooge and less nicer names .
The spirit of christmas has been lost due to the financial outpouring of peoples pockets to prove that they love you more by spending more.
Personally i would like to see christmas celebrated once very 4-5 years or so like the world cup and olympics
then it would be a much more anticipated and looked forward to event.

:cool:Bah Humbug :cool:

Ecofrugality

As a Christian, I agree whole-heartedly with Martin. The materialistic exchange of gifts has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus and the way Christians want to celebrate that.
Thanks for raising the topic.:T

MSE_Martin

Remember folks Radio 2 1pm today - do call in with your views.

dotherightthing_3

I so agree with Martin's blog.
My friend and I recently set up a wish list website called whatidlove.co.uk specifically to avoid all the waste, unwanted gifts and landfill you are talking about.
If you use an online wish list you do not spoil the joy of giving, people can still select what they would like to buy, but from a list of things they know you would love to receive...this enhances the joy of giving! and if you have everything you need you can ask for donations to your chosen charity, or if you are saving up for the one big thing you need people can give you cash contributions towards it.......
Then you have time to enjoy the real spirit of Christmas with friends and family, and not spend Christmas eve queuing up to buy a random gift.

drivebyargument

The part about buying presents that are never used is spot on.

I tell people not to buy me anything because I WORK and anything that I don't have I probably don't want, unless you're prepared to buy me expensive clothes which are a luxury that I clearly don't need. Even then, I'd rather choose for myself thanks.
Therefore basically any present is just CLUTTER, things that get in the way and serve no purpose. Space is a premium and when you clutter your house with things you don't want, you have no space.

Ban it. Say no to clutter.

dotherightthing_3

what about those people who would like to give you a gift, to make you happy...do you have a charity that they could donate to on your behalf, or would that not do it for you?

pretzelnut

I have in recent years really splurged on chritmas purely down to be unorganised, this year i started thinking about christmas in march.

This year i am only buying for my children and very immediate family, i have also made a lot of the gifts myself and have taken full advantage of any sales / promotions.

I also made a promise to have a tat free christmas, if my brother wants socks or toiletries i'm sure he's capable of buying these items himself. As he's at college this year, i have bought him some tools that i know he will need.

Yes christmas is just 1 day, but it's THE only day in the year that i know the whole family has the day off, no-one uninvited is going to knock on my door and i won't get any phonecalls from telemarketers. So it really is the only day that we can spent together as a family , enjoyng ourselves and relaxing.

I tell people not to buy us gifts, but some people just have to buy gifts otherwise THEY feel bad for not buying anything, in this instance we always ask for something for the house, like casserole dishes etc, something we will always need. If we recieve something that we do not want or cannot use, we always find a good home for it by donating it to a friend who will make use of it or to a charity. We then make an extra special effort to spend more time with the gift giver as they obviously dont know us well enough. So to us a useless gift is a greatreminder to spend more time with family and friends as these days life justgets in the way to much. Then nextyearsaid gift giver wont spent an hour buying us a useless gift, they'll know that we'd rather spend that hour together and have some fun.

As for the kids, if people ask we suggest clothes, they will always need new clothes as they are growing.

maureenjscott

I recently graduated from uni and my hubby has started a course, our income has dropped dramatically as neither of us are working, we hace two kids (8yo and 4yo), are expecting another in March and we moved house at the end of the summer. We had discussed Christmas months ago and the fact that we couldn't afford much. We managed to put £50 a month in the bank and agreed that would be our limit.

I have gotten gifts for my parents, bother and sister and an aunt who is very good to us for £1 each!! These were items on sale which I believe were last Christmas stock sold at the end of July!

We have one neice and nephew - both of whom will get some clothes that we've picked up in asda sales since the summer, in bigger sizes to do them next summer!

We agreed that the bulk of the cash saved would therefore go to our two kids but without going overboard. I am using the internet to get deals on the gifts they want, 3for2s in boots/tesco/etc and really shopping around to get the best prices - i've done this in the past but more so this year.

We just received word yesterday that a benefit we have not received since moving house has finally been awarded and we will get a lump sum - I was concerned that my OH would want to splurge and spend it all on Christmas but we've discussed it and decided that our decisions will stand - the folks will get the £1 gifts and the kids will get the clothes with reduced tags and our own kids will get to see us enjoy a season without the stress of going over budget, knowing that we have some cash in the bank for the new baby and perhaps a rainy day.

Even my best friend and i have decided not to exchange gifts - we're going to have a night at the movies during the holidays and enjoy the time together instead!

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you enjoy it however you choose to spend it (time and money!).

mo x

The lucky ones will also get a scarf which i'm knitting myself! lol

LOST

fantastic article - whole heartedly agree with the principles

N1AK

I don't disagree with much of Martin's analysis or the views of most posters who seem largely in agreement with it. I do however think that like many things gift giving isn't wrong in and of itself, but when done excessively or for the wrong reasons.

Christmas gift giving can often be an opportunity to give people things they couldn't justify buying for themselves. Whether it is buying your money conscious mother a (much needed ) sat nav or buying an Aunt & Uncle a small box of luxury chocolates buying the right presents for the right reasons isn't a sin.

Of course there is a downside, many people (and I include myself to a certain extent) want to get presents for people who it is very hard to decide what to buy them. Resisting the urge to buy novelty/duff presents in that situation is something I wish more people could do!