What's the biggest Christmas waste of money?

SebC

Buying things on credit cards and paying back over the following year is probably one of the worse practices. Wrapping paper is another, re-use present bags, better for the environment as well

kimwp

Any penny spent on anything you wouldn't normally spend on to get the family together and connect with friends.

Apart from money spent on Stollen and Panettone, which frankly should be provided in large amounts at any gathering.

powerspowers

kimwp said:

Any penny spent on anything you wouldn't normally spend on to get the family together and connect with friends.

Apart from money spent on Stollen and Panettone, which frankly should be provided in large amounts at any gathering.

🤢 Stollen and Panettone, I normally appreciate all cakes an sweet things but these are nasty. 

I think a secret Santa can be good if either there is a price limit that isn’t so extreme to force people to buy tat (my family do £20) or you have creative, imaginative people who make an effort (old work colleagues were like this, now not so much so we’ve knocked it on the head). 

I think anything that feels like an obligation is a waste of money. All the people I buy for (6 including the aforementioned family secret Santa) are close people who I love to buy for. Everyone else gets a heartfelt merry Christmas which they can either be grumpy about or be relieved that they are no longer obliged to buy for me. 

Exodi

Hands down has to be christmas crackers.

How someone can combine cardboard, a paper hat, a bit of paper with a terrible joke and a plastic paperclip - then slap a £10 price tag on the box - has always blown my mind.

Yet every year we end up buying them because they're 'traditional'. 

Liverpool_Anne

Christmas eve boxes for children. When and where did they come from? The whole point is to get your presents on the day not the day before.
I love sprouts any way they come and buy them whenever I see them, ditto for dates.
I haven't bought an advent calendar for years, total waste of money for very little reward.
I love a real Christmas tree and do reuse the wood in my log burner or to make things and I have a real dilemma over this but plastic trees just don't do it for me. 
Food can be a waste but I have cut back years ago, realistically Christmas dinner is just a roast and if there are things you don't like don't buy them, simple.
Presents I have also cut back on, by discussion with family we have agreed to get small gifts, things that are useful and will be used but still a treat. I also make some presents for those who appreciate home made things. I have also had discussions with friends and agreed no presents with most, with one group of friends who live at the other end of the country I suggested they spend the money they would have used on presents to buy themselves a treat and we would do the same. With other friends we have agreed to do something like go out for a meal. I am still working on a couple of others who still buy stuff and I do feel obliged to buy for them.
Postage can be expensive but this year I have only posted 2 parcels and it cost less than the petrol to deliver them.
Cards I buy in the sale in January and wrapping paper etc. But I do reuse paper and bags I get.

Brie

Was picking up the turkey from our meat guy today and said he was thrilled as someone else had ordered nearly £400 worth of meat from him.  He made a comment to her about "how that's going to be a great party!" and she said, no it was for Christmas dinner for 3 people, one of whom was vegan.  One would hope that all the leftovers get used up sensibly.

cjulien

Wrapping paper.  Just thrown away.  

NP09

cards and postage?

Erica51

Re Advent Calendars.  Buy or make a reusable one and fill it with whatever the you know the recipient will enjoy.  My son has had the same one for 20 years.  He's 29 but still likes me to fill it with Lindor each year.  Wrapped sweets are best!

REJP

Christmas cards and postage.  My late wife had a list of over 100 people she sent cards to at Christmas, 
very few are people I know.   So this year I sent a donation of the estimated value of cards and postage to my local Air Ambulance team.  Nobody has complained yet.