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This Christmas….

Well this time Big W has gone and done it. Their new Christmas ad featuring the guy from Modern Family has given me the irrits and I’ve jumped on to my high horse!

I couldn’t find a copy of the ad on the interwebs (I didn’t look too hard though), but the general gist is the guy (whose name escapes me) is dancing around singing about how much you can buy for a super cheap price for Christmas all to ‘Walking In A Winter Wonderland’. The ‘kerching’ being sung at the end adds a super classy note.

Previously I’ve got hot under the collar about Kmart and it’s dubious ethical standards. This time Big W gets my spray!

What has got me so wound up this time, is this whole idea that we should be buying lots of things for our friends and family at Christmas regardless of whether they want or need it, to show them that we love them. And because it is cheap, we can get more. Leaving aside all the ethical issues of buying super cheap clothing and toys (which I don’t have all the answers too), the ad overtly sells to the idea that Christmas is about buying heaps of stuff, and a smart person can buy heaps of stuff, and ‘save’ money.

Set all this to a well loved Christmas song, and it is pretty persuasive stuff; but I refuse to buy it!

Here is a novel idea: This Christmas let’s save money by not buying things that are neither wanted or needed. Let’s not fall into the trap of buying stuff just because it is cheap. Let’s buy things of quality that might cost a little more initially, but don’t break in 10 minutes, and so save us money in the long run! Let’s not fall for the idea that more is better, or that how much we love our kids is measured by how much plastic crap we give them!

Above all, let’s teach our kids all this too!

Let everyone know:

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Comments

  1. tricia says

    November 30, 2013 at 11:45 pm

    Hear hear! Well said 🙂

    We've always given our daughter only two gifts (one from us and one from Santa) and focus on quality rather than quantity. The waste at Christmas is obscene and so very sad. T

    Reply
  2. Six Little Hearts says

    November 23, 2013 at 12:47 am

    I am becoming so anti Christmas advertising that I am considering Christmas every second year! The thing with all the stuff is that none of it makes you any happier. In fact if we had less stuff I am certain I would be a lot happier – less to clean and look after! I am trying instil a bit of this mentality in my kids.

    Reply
  3. Erin says

    November 21, 2013 at 7:33 pm

    Hear, hear. I've become an online shopper, recently took my kids to shop for siblings and my son (16) bought nothing, "junk, all plastic junk" he declared. (ahem I might have said that mantra a time or too) but true! So now I have to find alternatives. The kids don't mind second hand, means we can better quality sometimes, and just think minus all the million packaging.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    November 21, 2013 at 11:07 am

    LOVE LOVE LOVE this post! Apparently I am a 'scrooge' at my work place as I said I did not want to participate in Secret Santa this year. My reaction was hey, let's have fun without buying stuff for people they really don't need or want in most cases 'cause I certainly do not want any more in my house than is already here!! (I am in purge mode as we are moving in the new year) Society is definitely out of control with the amount of stuff purchased and I fully agree about the ethical considerations involved. Emma

    Reply
  5. Shane says

    November 20, 2013 at 11:49 am

    Totally agree with you. How about Christmas being a time spent with family and loved ones, enjoying each others company with some good food and banter.
    A single thoughtful gift, one from the heart is far more special than a bunch of cheap imported crud anyday.

    Reply
  6. My Yellow Heart says

    November 19, 2013 at 2:33 pm

    Life is certainly more about quantity over quality these days. It's ridiculous. And sad.
    I've tried to make a conservative effort to buy more things that are handmade, or that will last and not be landfill after 6 months.
    Hopefully it is appreciated on Christmas day!

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    November 19, 2013 at 10:28 am

    Well said. So very tired of mass commercialism for dates that have lost the focus or the reason for the season. This year in our family we are doing a kris kringle with a max spend of $25 on materials for a handmade gift. Whatever can be handcrafted from those materials is the wonderful gift. My son has asked for a ladder for his 'slippy slide' (slippery dip) an. I must admit though, i'm a bit fearful my brother will give me a live, ready to be butchered pig!

    Reply
    • Jo says

      November 19, 2013 at 11:03 am

      Love it, except the butchering part. Live pigs are cute, and butchered pigs are tasty. The middle bit isn't so fun!

      Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    November 19, 2013 at 10:06 am

    Love all the comments. I hate greedy kids wanting more plastic crap too. I made my kids give half their toys away before Xmas to playgroup, daycare and op-shops. With ever expanding families it gets out of control. I care about the environment and hate lots of plastic. It's hard to escape. I also dislike a rich Bgrade Yank raving about cheap stuff in Australia which isn't a winter wonderland at Xmas time….wtf!

    Reply
  9. ss says

    November 19, 2013 at 9:38 am

    Love, love love this post! Thankyou, read my mind! (At first thought, I thought this was a sponsored post for BigW Haha!)

    Reply
  10. Michelle says

    November 19, 2013 at 9:37 am

    Amen to that!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well said. If only everyone felt the same way…..the world would be better place (with less plastic land fill).

    Reply
  11. Joolz says

    November 19, 2013 at 5:27 am

    I saw this on a blog a few years ago (family with lots of children)

    Something they want
    something they need
    something to wear
    and something to read….

    Might be a good place to start with quality gifts.

    Cheers – Joolz

    Reply
    • Jo says

      June 8, 2014 at 2:31 am

      We follow that one too!

      Reply
  12. Raelene says

    November 19, 2013 at 5:07 am

    Well said Jo!
    I am having a totally homemade Christmas this year 🙂 Of which will be a few sun hats I'll make, from the pattern which a very nice lady sent to me 😉
    Hugs

    Reply
  13. Miss Cinders says

    November 19, 2013 at 4:09 am

    Oops lol I hashtagged for ibot! Maybe I should bloghop AFTER I do my ibot commenting! lol

    Reply
  14. Miss Cinders says

    November 19, 2013 at 4:08 am

    Yep, I agree. Christmas is just too overly commercialized our days. The meaning is pretty much gone out the window 🙁

    All the big department stores are guilty sadly. If only money wasn't everything *sigh*

    Mc xo
    #teamIBOT

    Reply
  15. Anita says

    November 19, 2013 at 12:22 am

    Oh so true…

    Reply
  16. SDtG says

    November 18, 2013 at 10:32 pm

    I whole heartedly agree. Parents/grandparents get something handmade & for our kids (x4) we aim to go for quality over quantity. A couple of years ago we started doing secret santa amongst the our families so that there is a markedly reduced quantity of presents given out by everyone but what is given is of a much higher value (thus stopping the plethora of cheap toys). It also works out cheaper all around too.

    As a side note though it is Big W that you are thinking of and here is the link you were searching for. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XApEh4z2GR4

    Reply
    • Jo says

      November 18, 2013 at 10:35 pm

      Thankyou! I only saw the ad twice, and totally missed the Big W part – perhaps it's not as successful as they hoped for!

      Reply
  17. Anonymous says

    November 18, 2013 at 9:17 pm

    Oh! how true you are.. people thought my son was a little bizarre because for his birthday, which was last week, when asked what he wanted or what are you getting? he said a cake, a fireman sam cake.. he was just so excited to get that.. i hope that he keeps that innocence and doesn't get wrapped up in that horrid advertising.. I also guess you have to watch it to get wrapped up in it..

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a few presents, an afternoon swim and dinner on the veranda as the sun set. Time to stop and be thankful for the many blessings of the year. I hope you had a lovely Christmas too!
We have been mulling over how to fix up the drivew We have been mulling over how to fix up the driveway and lead up to our house for a while. Currently it’s just a dumping ground for old bits of metal and a big pile of mulch, but C would like to create a turning area and put in a garden. First up though, there’s a huge old stump that needs to go. What better excuse is there to have a fire on Sunday afternoon? C and the kids jumped on the quad bike and trailer, and hauled back a big pile of sticks and logs to help the stump burn. Once the fire was going, marshmallows were found and roasted. No better way to spend time together.
Team work makes the dream work. We were asked rec Team work makes the dream work. 
We were asked recently whether we “make” our kids work on the farm. The answer is of course not. Having said that, all three love to help out whenever they can. They all work hard because they want to; because they take pride in working hard and contributing in a meaningful way to our family life; because they love living on our farm and don’t remember life before we moved here. Whether it be planting trees or doing sheep work or feeding animals, they all want to be involved. As a parent, nothing is better than watching them grow in skill and confidence as they work along side you. We’re so glad that we get to spend time with our three, working together.
We’ve had an unexpected addition to the family ☘️🐑. She is a lot easier to look after than the other family members but she does try to escape her yard and head butt people. Poddy lambs are super cute but they tend to think they are a human. Clover the lamb is sure that Meg is her mum. Can’t think why… 🤔🤣
The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: toge The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: together, cooking damper around the remains of the bonfire.
It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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