Impending slew of crap entering our homes: Happy Holidays

[iris lilies]

I think I've finally figured out why I get so mad at all of the crap that enters my house this time of year. It's that Fall is my house cleaning time. I'm not working out in the gardens and I spend time tidying and cleaning around the house. So, just when I get everything up to snuff--in comes papers and crap in the form of gifts and etc. ugh. And crap food.

Yesterday I had a temper tantrum and demanded that DH tell me what the hell I was supposed to do with two baggies full of unknown white root vegetables. Where they rutabagas or radishes or turnips, or ? They were from his garden. I knew that however I prepared them, he would not eat them, so what is the freeking POINT of holding them in the fridge? While I admit to childishness in this I will still maintain that I had a point. So as it turns out he calmly took the offending vegetables from me and dumped them into the trash. Not even the compost. I think he was mad.:~)

[iris lilies]

Yesterday I read a few web posts and articles on the topic of gift giving to hoarders. It was interesting, the range of opinion.

One person had a good formula. She still gave her hoarder mother a gift, and one that she thought she would like, but it was a gift that her mom inevitably left while out and about: a pretty umbrella with a painting reproduction on it. So the daughter thought that she killed two birds by making her mom happy with a gift that recognized the mother's interest in art AND YET also giving a gift to the universe since she was sure someone would pick up the pretty umbrella. I think one could make this a triple header by buying an artsy umbrella from a charitable organization like a local art museum, win-win-win.

[catherine]

I think I've finally figured out why I get so mad at all of the crap that enters my house this time of year. It's that Fall is my house cleaning time. I'm not working out in the gardens and I spend time tidying and cleaning around the house. So, just when I get everything up to snuff--in comes papers and crap in the form of gifts and etc. ugh. And crap food.

Yesterday I had a temper tantrum and demanded that DH tell me what the hell I was supposed to do with two baggies full of unknown white root vegetables. Where they rutabagas or radishes or turnips, or ? They were from his garden. I knew that however I prepared them, he would not eat them, so what is the freeking POINT of holding them in the fridge? While I admit to childishness in this I will still maintain that I had a point. So as it turns out he calmly took the offending vegetables from me and dumped them into the trash. Not even the compost. I think he was mad.:~)

Well, you made me feel better about my experiences when I go to our local farm, which sells all kinds of interesting variations on vegetables, I have to ask what's a rutabaga, a turnip or a radish. They have all different kinds of radishes, and some look like small turnips to me, but I always feel stupid, but then I buy them, and they sit in the fridge...

I don't have much hope for keeping my clutter at bay this time of year.. I just have learned to accept it. It's hard when I get 6 adult children and dogs coming down with scads of presents to add to our scads of presents.

There's always January.

[herbgeek]

Oh man, I coulda made an awesome dish with those white root vegetables! My favorite is sauteeing a leek and some thyme in butter for a while (because everything is better in butter), then adding shredded root veggies- I typically use a mix of white and orange- but no reason it can't be all white and cooking maybe 5-10 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Good as a side dish, also good with pasta (of course a little cream is called for :)).

[iris lily]

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Here are photos of the white vegetables. One is a regular sort of radish, the other is a fancy new kind called watermelon radish.

[Chicken lady]

Radish?

[rodeosweetheart]

See, my problem with growing radishes is that no one ever wants to eat them. It's an odd vegetable. The excitement is in it being first, but not in eating it.

[iris lilies]

P
Radish?

yeah really, they are radishes. He also grows the typical red ones and smaller white ones.

[catherine]

P

yeah really, they are radishes. He also grows the typical red ones and smaller white ones.

They look like the ones I bought--are they watermelon radishes?

[kib]

I had a similar tantrum about The First of the Family Gadgets. On the first day of Christmas, my true love's family gave to me, one chicken scissor, one french peeler, one paring knife and a peeler-shredder-julienne machine with a separate dicing attachment and a hand guard for my oh-own safe-tee. :|( All brand new Chinese aluminum duplicates of better old things I already own and love.

I know, it's about love and generosity, but Jesus wept, please, keep your retail therapy in your own houses! I just cleaned! Aaarghh!

Sympathies on the radishes. I have to admit, I'm a lot more impressed with what we grow before I have to actually consume it (and DH never does, either). How very interesting, seventy four pods of okra and they're still blooming. >8)

[Chicken lady]

I just found out that we have an independent living store in my city - kids who are moving out of foster care get vouchers to go shop there for all the things they need. I wish kib had one for all her kitchen gadgets!

Anyway, all unwanted household items will be promptly regifted there! Having removed my "bonus daughter" and her two trash bags of possessions from an unheated, flooded "efficiency apartment" years ago it's a cause near to my heart.

[iris lilies]

They look like the ones I bought--are they watermelon radishes?

yep,,one group,are watermelon radishes.

[SteveinMN]

I love watermelon radishes! Beautiful to look at and typically not as bitter as red radishes sometimes are. Named for their appearance, not their sugar level. But give me a few of those and some hummus or cucumber dip and I'm happy.

[SteveinMN]

Oh, and IL, thanks for cutting to the chase and putting the holidays into perspective. :)

[pinkytoe]

my problem with growing radishes is that no one ever wants to eat them.
In parts of Mexico and Central America, radishes with your tacos are required. In Oaxaca, they even have a festival called Night of the Radishes.

[rodeosweetheart]

In parts of Mexico and Central America, radishes with your tacos are required. In Oaxaca, they even have a festival called Night of the Radishes.

That is cool, Pinkytoe, I am glad to learn that!

[Chicken lady]

Teacher presents day 1 -

Brownies; three candy bars; cheese (which I can't eat); a box of chocolates; soap, lip balm, bath oil and lotion; a jar lantern, a poinsettia, one candy cane, and three heartfelt notes/drawings. I actually rather like the lantern, my company eats cheese, and the toiletries are an all natural brand I like. So it was a pretty good haul! Now who do I know who needs a poinsettia.....

[Chicken lady]

Today I was gifted two pens, a scented candle, a bookmark, and a big hug.

[rodeosweetheart]

IL, I pm'd you about a nice young man we met today who is looking for a French bulldog rescue. Thanks!

[Williamsmith]

Wife came home from her school party with her secret Santa gift. A decorative plug in aromatic scent thingy made in China. I guess you can never have too many of those. :sick:

[Chicken lady]

My sympathies to mrs. williamsmith. The candle is looking a lot better!

When my kids were younger and had to do gift exchanges with $5 limits we always bought 4 giant Hershey bars (at 1.25 each). Easy to wrap - in a block, and generally well received. Any kid who couldn't have chocolate found them easy to trade away.

It was astonishing how year after year I got credit for being "so clever" it really never occurred to most of the parents to buy anything other than plastic dollar store crap.

[Williamsmith]

My sympathies to mrs. williamsmith. The candle is looking a lot better!

When my kids were younger and had to do gift exchanges with $5 limits we always bought 4 giant Hershey bars (at 1.25 each). Easy to wrap - in a block, and generally well received. Any kid who couldn't have chocolate found them easy to trade away.

It was astonishing how year after year I got credit for being "so clever" it really never occurred to most of the parents to buy anything other than plastic dollar store crap.

The gift limit was $10 so we went to a local department store ....not in a mall....and purchased a $10 gift card. Apparently it was very popular.

Who would a thought most people don't want toxic plastic crap from cheapmart for a gift? I have already broke it to the Mrs. that I won't be plugging it in any time soon and I wouldn't burden anyone else by regifting it.

It's pretty crazy that the brainwashing has got us all spending money we need on junk we don't need all in the name of proving we are thoughtful when we are really thoughtless.

[SteveinMN]

A decorative plug in aromatic scent thingy made in China. I guess you can never have too many of those. :sick:
Yeah, you can.

[pony mom]

Wife came home from her school party with her secret Santa gift. A decorative plug in aromatic scent thingy made in China. I guess you can never have too many of those. :sick:

I'm using one of those right now.

[Chicken lady]

Why? Sincerely. I wonder why people use them.

Today's goodies - another box of chocolate, another scented candle, a roll of bubble wrap for my classroom, a handmade "notebook", a bag of snack mix, a bag of st lucia rolls, more hugs, two more candy canes, and another sweet letter.

[ApatheticNoMore]

A decorative plug in aromatic scent thingy made in China. I guess you can never have too many of those.

one is too many, I don't like to poison my air anymore than it already is (from urban smog or some inevitable product off gassing etc.)

truthfully I probably would donate it to a thrift or something (I'm assuming it's unopened). yes it's junk and may just end up in the landfill, but if someone is going to buy that type of junk anyway ..

[Tammy]

Those plug in smelly things exacerbate my asthma

[Meezer_Mom]

20 years ago, every one was gifting potpourri and they were landing in the donation bag at our annual fundraising rummage sale. Trends come and go, but it's still about the air smellies.

[Williamsmith]

My laundry room had Air Wick liquid plug in air freshener when I moved in so I kept them replenished. Well, they were running over five bucks a month. So I ran into these gel beads and thought I d give them a try. Cost no is a dollar every two or three months. They do really work.

[rosarugosa]

We've been pretty successful at opting out of gift exchanges, although I continue to keep in line with the cultural expectations at work. I gifted each of my employees and the two dept managers with amaryllis bulb kits. My manager gave me a bottle of Pinot Noir and a Barnes & Noble gift card, and the other dept manager gave me one of those pre-wrapped mugs full of goodies. A family friend sends us a fresh wreath each year and we give her a gift card and an amaryllis. DH usually gets a couple of gift cards for coffee & the hospital cafe from work. So no slew of crap, hooray!

[LessStuff]

I think I've finally figured out why I get so mad at all of the crap that enters my house this time of year. It's that Fall is my house cleaning time. I'm not working out in the gardens and I spend time tidying and cleaning around the house. So, just when I get everything up to snuff--in comes papers and crap in the form of gifts and etc. ugh. And crap food.

Yesterday I had a temper tantrum and demanded that DH tell me what the hell I was supposed to do with two baggies full of unknown white root vegetables. Where they rutabagas or radishes or turnips, or ? They were from his garden. I knew that however I prepared them, he would not eat them, so what is the freeking POINT of holding them in the fridge? While I admit to childishness in this I will still maintain that I had a point. So as it turns out he calmly took the offending vegetables from me and dumped them into the trash. Not even the compost. I think he was mad.:~)

I thought from your title that you were talking about all the cheap plastic stuff coming over from China. My mother-in-law could probably fill a cargo ship with the stuff she gives our kids. 90% of it ends up going in the trash after it breaks or gets given to Good Will in January. Its great that the kids get the gifts, but enough is enough! But instead you are talking about good food! I haven't had a rutabaga since I was a kid, nor turnips in a long, long time. You should ship your white root vegies to me, or get a root cellar. I'd love to see my kids' faces if their stockings were filled with rutabagas! Anyway, I'd much rather get vegetables than plastic stuff from China.

[iris lilies]

I thought from your title that you were talking about all the cheap plastic stuff coming over from China. My mother-in-law could probably fill a cargo ship with the stuff she gives our kids. 90% of it ends up going in the trash after it breaks or gets given to Good Will in January. Its great that the kids get the gifts, but enough is enough! But instead you are talking about good food! I haven't had a rutabaga since I was a kid, nor turnips in a long, long time. You should ship your white root vegies to me, or get a root cellar. I'd love to see my kids' faces if their stockings were filled with rutabagas! Anyway, I'd much rather get vegetables than plastic stuff from China.

i am generally talking about cheap crap from China, you are right! But these white garden vegetables happened to catch my wrath because they were in the way. DH has no intention of eating them, yet he feels compelled to gather them, bag them, and clutter up the refrigerator with them. They would be there until they rot, and I Have to clean them out.

My big overall rant is "people who feel,compelled to clutter my space" and I have to deal with the clutter.