Christmas adverts (warning... Bah Humbug rant from me!)

[Toms Mummy]

Just read this on the BBC website, it is so British!

I am one of these grumpy christmas people who doesn't like all the hype, adverts, decorations a month before etc etc! Don't get me wrong, I love the christmas season but always feel that it starts too early and that the gift giving can get a bit out of hand!.... I have called all relatives this yr and said plase don't buy us any pressie, we will only be buying for the kids of the family. Otherwise it gets silly!

It mentions in the article about lists, I also don't like the idea of letting my son have an xmas list. He will then expect, I will get stressed looking for the stuff/spending the money and then he will be disappointed that I couldn't get it or I will disapointed because he doesn;t play with it. Anyway, where's the surprise in a list!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20427021

 

[RachA]

Tbh i haven't read the article as i'm in the middle of watching tv and i don't seem to be able to do both lol.

I love Christmas but i do feel it all starts a bit early. From the 1st Dec i start decorating a little bit at a time so that about 2 weeks before Christmas Day we have all the decs up and i just have to get the tree which is usually 7-10 days before.
The adverts do annoy me a bit - the only reason my son wants so much is because he's seen a few adverts on the tv.

IRO the christmas list though - this is the first year that my son has written a list. We have talked about it and Daniel has been told that he can have as much on his list but he categorically will not get everything on it. I know that he will be getting plenty of things that aren't on the list as well. I see no harm in lists as long as children aren't led to believe they will get everything. We have been quite savvy with our presents - 1 of Daniel's presents is second hand. I do feel a bit bad but then he won't notice that it's second hand and there is no way we'd of been able to of afforded it full price. We have also been fortunate to find a few things that Daniel wants on the Amazon black friday sale.

I don't hold to the idea that family only buys for the children. As parents we will always buy our children presents and the grandparents always will too. If the rest of the family buy for the children then they end up was so much and we actually end up without stuff that we could really do with but can't afford. We use Christmas as a time to get things that we can't really afford to buy for ourselves - my whole family will pull together and give us money to do stuff round the house.

 

[Toms Mummy]

I like that idea Rach, where your family take the opportunity to chip in and buy each other things that you could not afford alone, which you want .... Unfortunately for my family, my OH's in particular, that we just get bought crap that we don't want! Every yr we say time and time again please don't buy us anything! Or if you want to spend money then ask us what we'd like or give us vouchers (Something my side of the family like to do!).... I think I've become more bah humbug because of OH's family! ... MIL constantly goes over the top buying crap for LO that we've said this yr to minimise it to 3 presents!

Don't feel bad about 2nd hand gifts... we only buy LO 1 present each yr, and this yr it's a 2nd hand pedal bike I bought off a friend. It went through both of her children but this particular type is £200! Yes £200 for a children's 1st pedal bike!!!.... We'd never pay that much ourselves but the bike is a top rated one

 

[RachA]

That is so annoying. We are really fortunate as my family always asks and OH's family is generally quite good at either asking or just giving us money.

Wow £200. I've seen some lovely bikes for my two but i could never spend a lot on a bike that is only going to last a year. We bought DS's first bike for £25 from a man who repairs second hand bike - he loves it.

 

[Tegans Mama]

Bah humbug!

I love christmas. my christmas tree is firmly up already. I haven't read the article but I skim read the headings. I agree that adverts don't really represent christmas at all

 

[Toms Mummy]

Yeah £200, I know!.... I have bought it for £50 which I see as quite reasonable as they are selling on Ebay for around £90-£120!!! So atleast I know I'll get a good resale value

I really wish the adverts reflected christmas!.... Tom 1st christmas was a snowy one near us, it was brilliant although he was only 4 months old But we will just be travelling before hand to inlaws, then my OH goes to work day after boxing day for 2 weeks!

I can't beliese you've got your tree up!.... I came in to work and had a rant that the tree was up already .... it' still November!!! Ours will go up on the 12th day of Dec and come down on 2nd Jan .... I do love the tree but I hate going in to supermarkets and seeing everything all christmasy the day after Halloween! Grr!

 

[Tegans Mama]

We always put it up in the middle of November. I try to make christmas more a time of year than a single day because it just feels like a big waste of money otherwise

 

[RachA]

I always have a real tree as i love the smell etc so putting it up too early means it doesn't last long. But then i do like it keep it up after Christmas too. Because my sister's birthday is 6th Jan we had a tradition growing up whereby we'd keep the tree up until she'd had her birthday. I still do that now. I usually take the tree down once DS has gone back to school.

One of the worse things for me is that the christmas chocolates are in the shops so early - i buy them thinking i am being so organised and then i end up eating them!

 

[DanielleM]

This article is ridiculous, it is advertising, it is what they do. Can you imagine Thomas Cook, Thomson or Haven advertising holidays in the pouring rain with the kids kicking off? I think not, they are always sunny showing everybody having fun!!

And those complainers of the Asda advert, get a frickin life!!!

I think that whilst my children are young and 'believe' in santa then I am going to make it as special as I can because before long they will be miserable grunting teenagers in their bedrooms just wanting clothes or money. My Christmases as a child were really magical and I want to recreate that for my children. My tree is going up next Sat 1st Dec.

 

[monkee12]

My tree goes up around now every year, hubby said it wasn't going up till Dec this year its now up! haha

 

[Mummy May]

My tree is going up on Thursday, then I get to put all the work decs up on Friday I have pretty much finished and wrapped all of my presents - yes theres quite a few but DD doesn't get things throughout the year so I like to make it special, but everyone has their own way of doing things. I also didn't read the article but I don't see the problem as long as the child doesn't expect to get everything from the list. I never wrote a list as a child and probably won't be doing lists with my children either. But I LOVE christmas adverts, advertising, magazines, music, I'm just a Christmas nut lol! But its about the right time to get getting festive now xx

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I dont see how people got offended by the asda advert?? lol

 

[omfgski]

.e are!

 

[littlegenes]

This article is ridiculous, it is advertising, it is what they do. Can you imagine Thomas Cook, Thomson or Haven advertising holidays in the pouring rain with the kids kicking off? I think not, they are always sunny showing everybody having fun!!

And those complainers of the Asda advert, get a frickin life!!!

I think that whilst my children are young and 'believe' in santa then I am going to make it as special as I can because before long they will be miserable grunting teenagers in their bedrooms just wanting clothes or money. My Christmases as a child were really magical and I want to recreate that for my children. My tree is going up next Sat 1st Dec.

Have to say I agree 100%- it will be all too soon when Ava turns around and tells me she doesn't believe in Santa anymore- makes it so less special and magical imo.

 

[Toms Mummy]

This article is ridiculous, it is advertising, it is what they do. Can you imagine Thomas Cook, Thomson or Haven advertising holidays in the pouring rain with the kids kicking off? I think not, they are always sunny showing everybody having fun!!

And those complainers of the Asda advert, get a frickin life!!!

I think that whilst my children are young and 'believe' in santa then I am going to make it as special as I can because before long they will be miserable grunting teenagers in their bedrooms just wanting clothes or money. My Christmases as a child were really magical and I want to recreate that for my children. My tree is going up next Sat 1st Dec.

This made me laugh about the holiday adverts! So true

We definately make our christmas special for our LO with tree and decorations and lots of food/choccies

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I don't like the Asda advert. It shows the mom going all crazy to get everything perfect for Christmas. Like it's a mom's responsibility to get everything done. What about single dads? The demographic target is all wrong.

I'm a bah humbug too. Anything before Thanksgiving is too early and overkill. I hate the whole naughty/nice thing and I hate how kids make huge lists and "expect" things given to them. Last year, we got a sock animal for our niece from the Crazy Creatures of Sockville (shameless plug for Jac, lol) and gave it to her. She opened it and said "Is that it?"

I was raised to give back at Christmas. We sang carols in a nursing home, did charity drives and made the holidays better for those less fortunate. I think that's what the season should be about. Giving back that little extra to those who might not be able to afford the newest gaming system for their children.

 

[Natsku]

I don't mind Christmas adverts even though they're so far from the truth, I just like happy feel-good adverts. Not that I see any here, no tv and this is the land of depressing tv anyway.

I won't do Christmas lists though and I don't decorate til the week before Christmas cos thats how my family has always done it. I hate buying presents too (except for Maria, I am loving buying toys for her!), not that I don't like giving things to people its just that I'm shit at buying presents, luckily my OH told me that he just wants me to bake some cookies for him instead of getting him presents

 

[Toms Mummy]

Yeah, I'm definately shit at buying presents too! I get all stressed out about what to buy people as I don't see family very often so not sure about what they're in to, and then when you do ask they say oh don't get me anything or make it a surprise.... not helpful!! So this yr no one is getting anything Except LO and OH, and my little nephew!

 

[Bevziibubble]

I love Christmas and will be putting my tree up on 1st December. I do dislike all the commercialism of Christmas. I don't think the adverts represent a true Christmas as they're quite stereotypical and show a 'prefect' family Christmas, but I guess that's how they sell stuff