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Things = Love

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  • 08-12-2017 2:44pm
    #1
    mariaalice
    Registered Users Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭


    http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/opinion-i-find-christmas-so-false-its-all-veneer-folks-3736668-Dec2017/

    Not give to linking the Journal often as I find it biased but this is a good article. I have had great Christmases yet never spent a huge amount of money, when the children were small santa always came but it was never anything expensive we had Christmas dinner and lots of warmth and love( trying not sound sanctimonious ).

    What on earth is the mechanism that make people feel they have to spend on Christmas or that Children must have massive gifts that every thing should be all sparkly and amazing.

    Is it really as simple as capitalism and consumerism.


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    #2
    uch
    Registered Users Posts: 7,008 ✭✭✭uch


    I'm happy with a nice dinner and a few beers myself

    21/25



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    #3
    donegaLroad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,379 ✭✭✭donegaLroad


    mariaalice wrote: »
    http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/opinion-i-find-christmas-so-false-its-all-veneer-folks-3736668-Dec2017/

    Not give to linking the Journal often as I find it biased but this is a good article. I have had great Christmases yet never spent a huge amount of money, when the children were small santa always came but it was never anything expensive we had Christmas dinner and lots of warmth and love( trying not sound sanctimonious ).

    What on earth is the mechanism that make people feel they have to spend on Christmas or that Children must have massive gifts that every thing should be all sparkly and amazing.

    Is it really as simple as capitalism and consumerism.

    It is as simple as capitalism and consumerism. Watch the trends. I never remember the Christmas circus starting as early as this year. Lights, bells, santa.. in a bid to get people spending earlier.

    Around 20th December, we will start hearing ads for the January sales, and the big shove will be on once again.

    We will have about 4 weeks of peace and quiet, then the push will start for Valentines day, followed by Mother's Day, then Paddy's Day, then Easter, Father's Day, Back to school sales, Halloween.

    It is a constant bombardment of buy, buy, buy... and as someone mentioned on another thread, soon we will be building an extension on the house to store all the junk that we don't need or use.


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    #4
    mariaalice
    Registered Users Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭mariaalice


    The santa experience is an interesting one.


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    #5
    Neyite
    Administrators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,947 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Neyite


    I'm just waiting for my cousin to post the pile of presents she got her kid on FB as usual.

    One year in the picture I counted about 27 different wrapped ones, and that was just the ones on the outside and front of the pile. And the kid who I think was barely school age at the time would go to both nans and get a similar haul, and her dads house. Utter overkill and none of it required for a small child. Then they complain about how tough it is paying back all those loans for Christmas. And complain because the kid is a bit of a brat handful.

    My kid gets a Santa gift, a (small) surprise gift, stocking of a bit of tat and chocolate, a gift from Mam and dad, which this year is PJ's and books. He'll also get a gift from each godparent and each set of grandparents. And that's loads.

    We don't buy for all adult siblings, just a kris kringle, and gifts are from godparents only to niblings.

    I love our less-commercial Christmas, it lets us concentrate on enjoying family company and not being stressed about money.


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    #6
    Your Face
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,277 ✭✭✭Your Face


    That article was embarrassing.


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    #7
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Two words. Or maybe one.

    DoneDeal.

    My daughter gets great high quality presents...but many have had one careful owner and are less than half the price I'd expect to pay in Smyths.


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    #8
    MagicIRL
    Registered Users Posts: 6,902 ✭✭✭MagicIRL


    As soon as I started full time work the best part of Christmas was the time off at home doing nothing.

    And the food. All the ham & turkey. Mmm. And stuffing. I'm hungry.


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    #9
    mariaalice
    Registered Users Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭mariaalice


    Your Face wrote: »
    That article was embarrassing.

    Why?


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    #10
    Your Face
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,277 ✭✭✭Your Face


    mariaalice wrote: »
    Why?

    Because I said so.
    That's how opinion pieces work.


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    #11
    mariaalice
    Registered Users Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭mariaalice


    Neyite wrote: »
    I'm just waiting for my cousin to post the pile of presents she got her kid on FB as usual.

    One year in the picture I counted about 27 different wrapped ones, and that was just the ones on the outside and front of the pile. And the kid who I think was barely school age at the time would go to both nans and get a similar haul, and her dads house. Utter overkill and none of it required for a small child. Then they complain about how tough it is paying back all those loans for Christmas. And complain because the kid is a bit of a brat handful.

    My kid gets a Santa gift, a (small) surprise gift, stocking of a bit of tat and chocolate, a gift from Mam and dad, which this year is PJ's and books. He'll also get a gift from each godparent and each set of grandparents. And that's loads.

    We don't buy for all adult siblings, just a kris kringle, and gifts are from godparents only to niblings.

    I love our less-commercial Christmas, it lets us concentrate on enjoying family company and not being stressed about money.

    Thants another interesting one the compulsive need put on social media what you have got for your children as a kind of status symbol.


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    #12
    whisky_galore
    Registered Users Posts: 15,827 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    mariaalice wrote: »
    Thants another interesting one the compulsive need put on social media what you have got for your children as a kind of status symbol.

    'Unfollow' option....


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