[dante]

So Yahoo News has this charming story about anonymous givers who are paying off complete strangers layaway bills. One of the people interviewed was a nurse named Donna:

Dona Bremser, an Omaha nurse, was at work when a Kmart employee called to tell her that someone had paid off the $70 balance of her layaway account, which held nearly $200 in toys for her 4-year-old son.

Now, maybe I'm just "old fashioned", but I can't remember my parents giving me $200 worth of stuff for Christmas.... ever, *especially* not when I was 4 years old. Dunno, read that and couldn't help but think that this is everything that's wrong with Christmas. Am I showing my inner Grinch?

 

[Toshi]

I had the same thought when I read that article. I also internally gagged a bit when reading about the out of work mother of 8 at the bottom of the text…

 

[valve bouncer]

Spot the two posters in this thread who don't have kids. If I can get out of Christmas for less than $200 I consider it a win.

 

[stevew]

Am I showing my inner Gingrinch?

ftfy...

 

[gonefirefightin]

my daughters gifts are purely based on her grades in school. if she keeps the average, I spend accordingly.

I have yet to spend less than 200 bucks on her in one Christmas.

 

[dante]

Spot the two posters in this thread who don't have kids. If I can get out of Christmas for less than $200 I consider it a win.

I only have my nieces to spoil. Is 5 years old too young for this?

 

[Serial Midget]

There's nothing wrong with white people problems; I would have gone Menendez if my parents didn't spend $200 on me.

 

[H8R]

Now, maybe I'm just "old fashioned", but I can't remember my parents giving me $200 worth of stuff for Christmas.... ever, *especially* not when I was 4 years old.

And at 4 years old you knew exactly what the value of the dollar was?

Granted, $200 at K-Mart is a ridiculous amount of crap for any kid. Maybe she was going for a new bike among other things.

 

[H8R]

I only have my nieces to spoil. Is 5 years old too young for this?

Little bit. Closely supervised it might be ok. Depends on the kid really.

 

[Pesqueeb]

Spot the two posters in this thread who don't have kids. If I can get out of Christmas for less than $200 I consider it a win.

Fo Rizzle. Though to be honest I'm going out of my way to shop locally, which ups the cost of, well, anything.

 

[JetTeach]

This thread and the thought that $200 is alot to spend for Christmas just has me laughing. One gift for my 9-year old cost $350ish.

 

[4xBoy]

I want to spit acid for the fact people will waste money on cheap plastic stuff for kids this time of year.

 

[4xBoy]

I never got $200 in crap at X-mas at 4 YEARS OLD.

 

[IH8Rice]

Dunno, read that and couldn't help but think that this is everything that's wrong with Christmas.

i know right?? $200 of crap from Kmart?? that kid is getting screwed


i guess this doesnt phase me since i grew up in a upper middle class family in NJ

 

[H8R]

One gift for my 9-year old cost $350ish.

I'm sure he really needed it and it made him a better person.

 

[Toshi]

i guess this doesnt phase me

Faze.

I have a few nieces and nephews. They're each getting $30-40 worth of books from the wife and me. In this context, yes, I still think $200 from K-Mart for a 4-year old is excessive, especially considering the mother couldn't truly afford it in the first place.

 

[IH8Rice]

Faze.

sorry, i must have missed your blog post about proper grammar

 

[dante]

^^^^Apparently that's because neither you nor I have kids.

 

[JetTeach]

I'm sure he really needed it and it made him a better person.

Its she...and I wasn't about to buy her a cheap bike.

 

[Toshi]

sorry, i must have missed your blog post about proper grammar

Grammar and proper word choice are distinct entities. Your grammar was fine.

 

[X3pilot]

I only have my nieces to spoil. Is 5 years old too young for this?

Uncle Ted says never too young!

 

[IH8Rice]

Grammar and proper word choice are distinct entities. Your grammar was fine.

sydasti jr.?

 

[eaterofdog]

As soon as I read that $200 was a lot of money, I checked the date on the post cause I figured someone had bumped a thread from the 90s or something.

 

[dante]

As soon as I read that $200 was a lot of money, I checked the date on the post cause I figured someone had bumped a thread from the 90s or something.

For a single 4 year old? Seriously?

 

[valve bouncer]

For a single 4 year old? Seriously?

Easy nowadays. Don't be too quick to judge. Maybe that includes a present from the deadbeat dad that mum bought so the kid doesn't grow up thinking dad was a thoughtless bastard (even if he is) or from the grandparents on a pension. Maybe mum had extra shifts lined up on Christmas night to pay for this. Who knows. It's easy to say that kids should do without and I agree with you philosophically but when they're your kids it's hard to stand on principle sometimes.

 

[dante]

Shrug, dunno, as has been pointed out I don't have to look into some kid's anime eyes and tell them that no, Santa doesn't have room in his sleigh for that gigantic molded plastic kitchen set... It just seems like the commercialization of Christmas is the excuse for parents to spend money that they don't have (hence, "layaway", including the additional fees that go with it) on toys for a kid that's only 4 years old. Sure, for a 9 year old you're looking at spending more money on a bike, sporting equipment, more expensive clothes (for a girl), etc, but.... FOUR? One of my nieces is 4. Her *absolute* favorite thing in the entire world are her Dora the Explorer PJs.

Anyway, it just seems like the entire spirit of Christmas has vanished in a puff of commercialization and credit card debt...

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

wtf? when i was a kid, EACH snes game was over $100.

Am buying Epic Mickey for Wii my nephew (who is 5), and the game alone is $90.... damn barbies are like $50 a pop (I have 3 nieces).... $200 isnt that much, not even in this side of the world, when you talk about xmas gifts for kids....

 

[dante]

You realize that if we were to convert the $200 into Peru pricing, it'd be closer to $400, right? ;D

SNES games were $50, Wii are ~$45-50, and Barbies are $20-30 here.

edit: Epic Mickey is actually only $20 here.

 

[syadasti]

wtf? when i was a kid, EACH snes game was over $100.

Am buying Epic Mickey for Wii my nephew (who is 5), and the game alone is $90.... damn barbies are like $50 a pop (I have 3 nieces).... $200 isnt that much, not even in this side of the world, when you talk about xmas gifts for kids....

Imported goods like that are a lot more expensive in some countries (just like cars and electronics too). I am sure the average 4 year old in Peru doesn't get $200 in xmas gifts.

 

[syadasti]

Certainly don't need these in the US since we are consumer whores...

NSFW

http://importfood.com/paladkik.html

 

[Pesqueeb]

Can I get an irony check on secular liberals bemoaning the commercialization and fate of "Christmas Spirit"?

 

[stevew]

Anyway, it just seems like the entire spirit of Christmas has vanished in a puff of commercialization and credit card debt...

you act as if it is something new.....

 

[cannondalejunky]

i heard the other day that the average layaway ticket right now at walmart is around $300 (i am and not really proud to say it a walmart home office employee...it's a job that pays right now). Layaway can only be used for electronics and toys so i know most of those are probably tvs but thats still a f*ck ton of toys....I've been wondering how many of these tickets will just sit empty and not get paid off in time.

 

[Serial Midget]

Agreed. His upper middle class parents haz failed us by allowing inner city diction to flourish in a suburban environment.

Grammar and proper word choice are distinct entities. Your grammar was fine.

 

[denjen]

Can I get an irony check on secular liberals bemoaning the commercialization and fate of "Christmas Spirit"?

How about an irony check on the fact that this is a bike site and most people here own several thousand dollars worth of bikes, but are bitching about $200 for a kid for Christmas.

 

[IH8Rice]

Agreed. His upper middle class parents haz failed us by allowing inner city diction to flourish in a suburban environment.

now you talkin some jive you turkey

 

[?????]

The article says that the mother is a nurse. I have a few friends that are RN's and they seem well off. $200 wouldn't be but a days pay. Hardly stretching it for their kid's Christmas presents.

If she was working a minimum wage job, out of work, or on welfare with too many kids, that would be one thing, but I think the lady got lucky and the generous donor paid the wrong person's layaway bill. Either she buys her kids more presents or hopefully she reciprocates the favor to someone that needs it more.

 

[dante]

How about an irony check on the fact that this is a bike site and most people here own several thousand dollars worth of bikes, but are bitching about $200 for a kid for Christmas.

How many of those multi-thousand dollar bikes were purchased on layaway, and how many s broke down in tears when they didn't have to make the final $70 payment on them?

It's not about spending $200 on a kid. It's someone feeling like they have to spend $200 on a four year old when they can't afford it in the first place just because "it's Christmas".

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

Imported goods like that are a lot more expensive in some countries (just like cars and electronics too). I am sure the average 4 year old in Peru doesn't get $200 in xmas gifts.

spanish link from local newspaper.
http://elcomercio.pe/economia/1349329/noticia-peruano-gasta-dos-mil-soles-decorar-su-casa-navidad

it says the average family spends $700 on xmas expenses/decoration. this is on a per capita gdp (ppp) of a bit less than $10000/year. its safe to assume $200 could go for toys for kids...

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

How many of those multi-thousand dollar bikes were purchased on layaway, and how many s broke down in tears when they didn't have to make the final $70 payment on them?

It's not about spending $200 on a kid. It's someone feeling like they have to spend $200 on a four year old when they can't afford it in the first place just because "it's Christmas".

cmon dude, ever seen the face of a kid opening xmas gifts??

its seems absolutely reasonable to me, for a family to spend $200 once a year on a kid. thats about just one nintendo wii, or a walmart bike plus a helmet and tubes.
at least, orders of magnitude more reasonable than $200 pedals or saddles