I Am Disturbed
by Kym on November 19, 2008
Mentally yes, but in other ways as well.
Christmas is always a tricky time of year. The rampant commercialism, Christ being taken out of Christmas, etc…It’d be pretty easy to go through the season scowling at all the flyers and catalogues and store fronts. I make an attempt every year though to portion off my favourite aspects of the season and focus just on them.
The scent of simmering wassail and fresh baked ginger snaps. Lovingly brushing the bits of styrofoam off my porcelain nativity set and laying it out atop the piano. Teaching my children about baby Jesus and how much it means to us that he came. Leaving out cookies for Santa Claus and watching the joy and wonder in their faces when they find nothing but crumbs in the morning. And giving, giving, giving. Giving gifts is one of my favourite ways to show love and I revel in it!
As I was flipping through the flyer of a local store looking for gift ideas, I saw something that I’d seen in other stores that disturbed me greatly. Advent calendars. Not the cutesie ones with pictures of the nativity, or Santa, or snowmen, or children ice skating. Garishly bright ones with the faces of tv and movie stars on them.
Err…what?
Now I’ll admit that I’m a bit of an extremist when it comes to character merchandise. I go out of my way to avoid purchasing Disney Princess paraphenelia or Dora the Explorer clothes for my girls. I often grimace as I peruse the girl’s clothing section, looking for clothes that don’t have someone’s face smeared all over them. It bothers me. A lot. Perhaps not for any fascinatingly thought provoking reason…I just don’t like it.
I’ve been hunting for Advent Calendars for my girls for weeks now. Weeks. I finally found some at the local grocery store. $9 each. Ouch. But they’re beautiful. They have lovely snow dusted scenes portrayed on them, and the chocolate is manufactured by one of Canada’s leading chocolatiers. Hmm…wait…that may have been a bad idea…
Anyway, I suppose I just wanted to put my distaste into words, not knowing how to address a letter to Retailers of North America at large.
Christmas isn’t about Hannah Montana or High School Musical, Tinker Bell, Cars, or Disney Princesses. We can debate even about whether Santa and snowmen and cherub cheeked ice skaters really fit either, but really? It’s going too far, in my opinion.
27 comments
An advent calendar with stars faces plastered over them? That’s ridiculous.
Jaina´s last blog post..Shiny Stuff: Part One
by Jaina on November 19, 2008 at 10:46 am. #
Ugh, I avoid gimmicky clothing and things too. When my kids are little they hate it, but I’ve had one of them look at a preschool picture and thank me for the fact that she didn’t have Dora the explorer on her sweatshirt or whinnie the pooh on her shoes. It’s one way I can keep hollywood out of my life.
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by Josi on November 19, 2008 at 11:12 am. #
I’m with you on the marketing unlove. I can’t stand clothing with ‘stuff’ on it. And I saw a Hannah Montana advent calendar at Superstore the other day and nearly gagged – fortunately, the cheaper 99 cent ones were right beside it.
Let’s both try to remember this next year, and I can mail you advent calendars. Unless you didn’t buy the $9 ones, in which case, I can still mail them.
jo´s last blog post..Confession
by jo on November 19, 2008 at 11:18 am. #
I’m with you on that one girl . . . which is why I’m scrapping the entire Advent Calendar idea this year . . . and making my own cross stitch one for next year/subsequent years . . .
Kate´s last blog post..The Hiding Place
by Kate on November 19, 2008 at 11:31 am. #
From an 11-yr old’s mouth, “Mom, I will not wear anything from Hannah Montana or High School Musical,” as we were looking at school clothes. She held up the black shirt with I love Hannah thingy on it…..and rolled her eyes.
Her thoughts are, “I like the show and the music, but I don’t need to advetise that!”
I got their advent calanders the cheap kind?? $2 at Smith’s…mind you I get six of them so…………
Kelline Boel´s last blog post..Bad Hair Day
by Kelline Boel on November 19, 2008 at 11:36 am. #
here, here!! nasty business all this brainwashing commercialism…..grrr. to bad we couldn’t put blinders on the kids as we walk through town! lol I found some great ones here http://www.mercuriuscanada.ca/ in the miscellaneous section. I’m doing an order form them soon if you want to order on for next year. (k…I know that’s taking planning ahead to a whole new level, but….)
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by Jenn on November 19, 2008 at 11:50 am. #
I’m with you sistah! Especially about the girls clothing/merchandise. I hate how everything has princesses (with heaving cleavage no less) and Dora the Explorer and I especially HATE Hannah Montana stuff. I swear our Walmart no longer carries plain shirts, everything has Hannah emblazoned on the front. *rolls eyes* I guess thats what I get for shopping almost exclusively there.
Kiera´s last blog post..Decisions
by Kiera on November 19, 2008 at 12:02 pm. #
Amen, sister.
You and both share that dislike of girls clothing with popular characters. I’ve let Princess have a Dora shirt or two and ONE pack of Disney Princess underwear, but that’s as far as it goes. Well, my sister found her a Cinderella sweatshirt and a Dora outfit, and they are rather cute. Still, I hate the commercialism and won’t let my kids do their rooms in themes like Spiderman and Dora. That’s why I let them have a shirt or two. Don’t get me started on Hannah Montana. Or Bratz dolls. If someone were ever to get Princess a Bratz doll it would go right back to the store. Ugh.
Rebecca´s last blog post..Weird Dream
by Rebecca on November 19, 2008 at 12:06 pm. #
I live by one hard and fast rule for my kids’ clothing: no characters on their shoes. Period. And only on their clothing if they wear me down for days.
But advent calendars? Definitely going too far!
Melanie J´s last blog post..Wingnut and underwear
by Melanie J on November 19, 2008 at 12:11 pm. #
I’m with you on the character on clothes thing. Drives me nuts. Last summer I had to give in with a pair of Dora sandals because the ONLY choices were Dora or Hannah. Give me a break! It’s nice that my kids are getting older–there’s less of that stuff when you’re buying size 10 in the girls section than size 4.
But on an ADVENT CALENDAR? That’s just sick.
Annette´s last blog post..Konnie’s Secret
by Annette on November 19, 2008 at 1:30 pm. #
Really? On advent calendars? Really? Ugh.
Heather of the EO´s last blog post..Hairdresser Infidelity
by Heather of the EO on November 19, 2008 at 4:37 pm. #
Yeah. That’s a bit much…
tracey´s last blog post..2nd Grade Jokes, a Redux…
by tracey on November 19, 2008 at 5:50 pm. #
Ohhh do I ever agree. I confess I love disney stuff (we’re talking mickey mouse and jack skellington stuff) but yeah not in a nativity! As much as I love jack skellington I am pretty sure he wasn’t anywhere near that manger on the first Christmas Eve.
julie wright´s last blog post..How to be an Editor’s Favorite Author
by julie wright on November 19, 2008 at 5:58 pm. #
That is a product I had not seen. I am so happy for that! It sounds awful.
debbie´s last blog post..All set? Let’s go.
by debbie on November 19, 2008 at 7:31 pm. #
Okay, I admit I’m kind of a sucker for SOME of the Dora stuff, but not for Christmas. When did tacky become the new sacred? I made a goal several years back to not buy any decorations (other than ornaments and stockings) that were not nativity related. Man, it is HARD to find stuff. Occasionally I can find some star things or angel things, but almost all of it is Santa, reindeer, snowmen, etc. If I’d seen that advent calendar thing, I would have flipped out too.
Steph @ Diapers and Divinity´s last blog post..Families are for practicing
by Steph @ Diapers and Divinity on November 19, 2008 at 7:43 pm. #
Last year I purchased an advent calendar at Starbucks (of all places). It was $9. It was in the shape of a Christmas tree and had numbers on these little red drawers. When you opened up the drawers there was chocolate inside, but as you flipped each of the drawers around it made a wintery picture as each day passed. Such fun watching the numbers disappear and the picture develop, and the best part is…it’s refillable and we plan to use it again this year.
by fleetfeet on November 20, 2008 at 2:40 am. #
I totally agree. No wonder so many kids today have no idea what Christmas really represents.
Check out “The Advent Book”. It’s a beautiful book with full page-sized doors you open each day to tell the Christmas story. We use it year after year. But it does lack an important ingredient. . . chocolate!
pam´s last blog post..oops! did I marry a terrorist?
by pam on November 20, 2008 at 4:31 am. #
How does it go? …”and their land is full of idols…”
Yeah. We are so there.
Summer´s last blog post..So Many Faces, So Few Names
by Summer on November 20, 2008 at 6:34 am. #
Oh great, a new low. Blech.
Tonya´s last blog post..Party time
by Tonya on November 20, 2008 at 7:23 am. #
I don’t like that part of Christmas much either. But I love the lights and the excitement and the spirit of Christmas. If I focus on that, it helps. It doesn’t completely drown out the commercialism, but it helps.
Becky´s last blog post..What green means to me
by Becky on November 20, 2008 at 8:48 am. #
Why not just put Zac Efron in the manger?
Eeeek.
That Girl in Brazil´s last blog post..Mathematics
by That Girl in Brazil on November 20, 2008 at 7:22 pm. #
I have real issues with Hannah Montana advent calendars too… but somehow the NHL ones don’t bother me? I am such a hypocrite.
I avoid clothing with characters on it too, but it gets harder as they get a bit older. I’ve relented with a few t-shirts with characters on them. A FEW. And again, for some reason Hello Kitty doesn’t seem so bad? (Unless you rent a Hello Kitty video and think what on earth??).
I drew the line at the “gangsta” sweatshirt Stu wanted because all the other little boys have them. Um, NO.
Tracy´s last blog post..Well helloooo!
by Tracy on November 21, 2008 at 6:20 am. #
I SO totally agree–about all of it. What I want to know is, where are the advent calendars without chocolate even? The darling German ones with waifs and glitter snow and darling little pics behind each door?
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by Heidi Ashworth on November 21, 2008 at 7:26 am. #
I went to a Story Time felts party recently and I saw an advent calendar that they had there that I really wanted.
http://storytimefelts.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=133
Hannah Montana–that’s disgusting. I’m lucky in that my daughter doesn’t really like HM. But I already know that she’s getting ribbed for liking classical music. Poor girl.
Grrr.
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by Eowyn on November 21, 2008 at 9:20 am. #
Could not agree MORE. I’ll have to post a photo of our Advent calendar; I bet you’d like it.
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by Novembrance on November 21, 2008 at 11:59 am. #
I have never been overly fond of mixing clothes and television.
Do you have Target’s up there? I saw some lovely reusable wooden advent calendars there.
by An Ordinary Mom on November 23, 2008 at 9:08 pm. #
Bad Jo. Mine have Barbie and High School Musical. I let them pick. But they do also have a new nativity ornament each for their rooms now they are big girls, as well asthe one they can play with downstairs. And we hve lots of books about baby Jesus so I think we’ll get the balance ok. And I also have an angel ad a shepherd in the household this year.
Oh, and I love love love the new look. Over the last few comments I’ve meant to write that and then remembered just as I pressed submit. It looks really cool here Kim, you are amazing at this stuff.
by Jo Beaufoix on November 26, 2008 at 4:08 pm. #