Disposable Christmas??

[mom-from-missouri]

The last few years I have noticed a trend in my area. A few days after Christmas, people start selling (Craigslist, facebook marketplace and swapshops and such) their Christmas trees, ornaments and decorations. I mentioned this to a couple of friends, and they said they have noticed it too. Recently I admired the tree of a younger coworker while visiting at her house, and she told me that she buys a new tree, decor, stockings and ornaments every year because she likes to "change the theme around". All I could think of was money spent/wasted. We have had the same tree for years. Our ornaments are years old, some made by the kids/grandkids, and I usually pick up a few when we go to vacation. I can tell you the history of each ornament on the tree. I wonder if this is the new norm for the younger generations??

[rennigade]

I never heard of this trend not do I know anyone who ditches Xmas decor year after year. Maybe a regional thing but in NE PA, that's not the case.

I Have noticed people wanting things cheaper and cheaper and buying cheaper things more often. Maybe that's the reason why. People seem to like to buy a lot of things instead of fewer quality more expensive things. I think a lot of people have an addiction to buying things and getting packages delivered to their homes. I know several people who fit this bill.

Wife and myself have the mentality of buy once cry once. We buy nicer things including holiday decor and keep it as long as possible.

[kork13]

I hate to sound judgemental of "those young whipper snappers" (I'm only 36 myself), but I think much of that dynamic may be attributable to our society & trade/economics. In short, the perception that all is ephemeral, replaceable, and generally cheap in quality. Add to that the social media nightmare of feeling the need to constantly impress one's loose associates & followers, and you end up with folks constantly looking for the next new/best thing.

Personally, I don't buy into it. Our Christmas stuff (and most other holiday decorations) has largely been the same that I grew up with .... Tree skirt & ornaments from my childhood, stockings made by my mother 20 years ago, fake tree that only gets replaced when it starts falling apart or not working (8-10 years?). Halloween is similar. We do get new things periodically that cycle through. And we also don't really decorate much for most other holidays, which keeps things pretty simple. But the idea of replacing everything each year seems not only expensive, but hugely time intensive... And I don't enjoy shopping.

[ua_guy]

For us, the ornaments, stockings, decorations are all sentimental pieces collected over time and preserved. We tend not to have a lot of it and certainly don't need a new theme every year. Every now and then we'll pick up a new thing (mostly by way of something Christmas-themed given to us), but that's become rarer as time goes on. I've used and repaired the same exterior Christmas lights for our home for 16 years, and even longer for our lights that go around our tree.

The holidays in general are a wasteful time and I see a lot of people going "over the top" on decorations and things. I admire the spirit, but sometimes it seems a bit ridiculous. How many lights does a home need? How many things need to adorn the yard? Does EVERYthing need to be Christmas-themed / flavored / scented / staged? lol. If it feels like a disposable item, I'm probably not interested in it for the holidays.

[bjl584]

I bought a new tree in 2019 because the cat climbed the old one and broke some of the branches.
The ornaments have been the same for decades, as most of them have sentimental value and meaning.