Looks like this is more c/unpopularopinion territory.
No one is stopping you from giving home made, second hand, or similar gifts. You make the choice about how much consumerism you want to participate in during the holidays and all year as well.
Reduce, reuse, recycle in that order of priority.
Put Refuse first, as in refuse buying a product that uses disposable plastics for packaging. That one is harder, but thankfully the option to buy stuff in bulk with your own containers will keep growing up.
If anyone was planning on giving @Boozilla@lemmy.world something nice for Christmas, they can give it to me instead.
Uh, what?
What makes you think Christmas is for kids? Just because they enjoy it? Shall we ban movies, video games, etc for adults too?
I’ve never heard someone suggest that adults shouldn’t enjoy their hard earned holidays, and spread joy with gifts and such to each other, because they’re no longer 12 or whatever.
What makes you think my and my family and friends enjoyment of Christmas is less important than slightly reducing how much money some shop might make for a few weeks?
I’ll keep enjoying the small joys of life, thanks. Kids can sod off.
I specified gifts. You can still enjoy the holiday without excessive unnecessary consumption.
I’m sorry that you can’t enjoy your Xmas if adult exchange gifts.
I feel badly for you. And a large part of me suspects this post is just trawling for arguments and bad faith.
Happy Holidays!
OP’s post is not mean-spirited in any way. Re-read it and see. You, on the other hand, have rushed straight to condescension (“I feel badly for you”) and a outright accusations of bad faith. “Happy holidays” indeed.
Deck the halls with anger and fighting! Falalalalalala
I’m sorry you can’t distinguish materialism as distinctly different from celebrating with family and friends. Enjoy being brainwashed by ads.
I’m making gifts for family that I know they will love and appreciate. Gift giving is only as much about consumerism as you make it. To reject getting joy out of seeing someone else get something they would love is a bit short sighted.
This guy’s over here making hand crafted cash…wait, that’s illegal.
It says on the package that it’s artisanal, so I think that means it’s special.
That’s awesome, but let’s not ignore the billions in profits, and questionable spending, and plastic waste production that goes on every year because people feel cultural pressure to buy things for other adults. For every one thoughtful person like you, there’s a thousand buying junk nobody wants or needs.
Yeah, you’re completely missing why adults like gift exchanges. Hint: it’s not because of ads and consumerism.
Yeah it is. Consumerism eats into all of us, hard. All those gazillions spent on marketing junk to us, do you think the executives would sign off on it if it had no effect?
We should all agree to boo Boozilla.
BOOOOO
Well, fuck that
My family, granted we’re Jewish, basically stopped all gift-giving, except for when there’s a new kid in the extended family, which is rare. I wholly agree that Christmas is the best example of conspicuous consumption/consumerism and extreme capitalism. Frankly, Christmas season makes me kind of uncomfortable because of all the social expectations to give gifts. Fortunately I can usually say ‘“nah I’m Jewish, I don’t do Christmas,” but you’d be surprised how many folks are totally confused by that. So yup, spoil your kids if you want to, but don’t expect me to send you a holiday gift if you’re a functional adult.
Yes, the pressure is immense and I suspect most would not miss it if they could just let it go and could experience life without it.
I agree. Adult gifts should be based on actually coming a cross something that would be great for someone when you have the means. It should be spontaneous with no reciprical expectations.
Thank you, well said.
I mean, just tell your family not to get you anything and spend it on the kids instead.
Lots of families do it that way, you don’t need to convince everyone before you do it, just do it
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to hope (even if naively so) for a cultural shift away from the “Black Friday” mentality that taints the holidays.
Cool, but that’s not what you’re doing.
You’re complaining people aren’t doing it, be in the change you want to see, but don’t go around telling people they’re doing it wrong.
Such defensiveness. OP is practicing as they preach, and nobody is “telling people” to do anything. We’re just discussing commonly held assumptions.
and nobody is “telling people” to do anything.
Literally the title of the post:
We should all agree that Christmas gifts are for kids only.
C’mon…
Suggesting is not telling.
So, nobody should ever nudge others towards new behaviors or ideas? And how do you know who I do and don’t buy gifts for? Lot of assumptions here.
Just this is exhausting, I couldn’t imagine a whole in person holiday
When you have a big family, this is already the case.
Family of 10 or less? Great gifts for everyone!
Family of 50 or less? Hey, I got you a nice coffee set.
Familly of 50+? Yeah, I got stuff for your kids…I can’t afford shit right now. You buy your own christmas themed novelty socks!
Buy yourself a present, instead. Fuck them kids. 😆
Birthday parties should be only for kids.
Adult Christmas gifts are more about the gesture than giving something expensive to me. Expressing your appreciation for your loved ones.
At least stand by your principle in the same post. Consumerism is bad, therefore everyone should celebrate Christmas without buying a bunch of things. “For the kids” seems like a random concession to your strong belief.
It makes sense though. Adults can buy whatever they want without hoping it would be gifted to them. Kids on the other hand aren’t exactly swimming in disposable income.
I don’t see it as that black and white. Kids get special treatment in many different contexts.
One person’s “random concession to a strong belief” is another person’s admirable pragmatism! Kids get a free pass, that’s the whole point of being a kid! It’s the mindlessly wasteful adults we object to.
Disagree. Children are over-prioritized.
