Santa's sleigh is looking emptier. Fewer toys, higher prices loom for holiday season

[Lennie]

Santa's sleigh is looking emptier. Fewer toys, higher prices loom for holiday season

Toy-makers are warning of emptier shelves and pricier toys this holiday season. Their supplies are ensnarled in floating traffic jams of container ships wallowing near key U.S. ports.

www.npr.org

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[albin25]

Q- What will be this year's "gotta get" gift?
A- Bacon !

 

[CamoDeafie]

Time to hit up thrift stores, resales, and flea markets

 

[Certaindeaf]

Boaty McBoatface has a frown now

 

[Mikej]

So, kids won't be getting piles of crap made Chinese plastic and electrical shi'ite this year? I'm devastated.
NOT!

When I was a kid I got what seemed like a bunch of stuff under the tree every year. My parents were raised in the depression era. They were frugal, with a CAPITOL Fru! I always had what I needed,was fed well and was never cold. It'd be a great time to to give the spoiled kids a chance to see how their parents before their parents lived.

 

[bigbearbear]

Do kids even want physical toys these days? Most of them are playing on their phones and game consoles, so I image a digital product like a video game or one of those game passes is what they're after.

 

[Dungannon]

When I was growing up, Birthday and Christmas gifts were things I needed: jeans, socks, underwear, shirts, etc. These days I tell the wife/kids/grands I just need black socks, T-shirts that have a pocket and no advertising, and some garage sale books on topics that interest me. They don't have to spend much which makes me happy, and no worries about returns.

 

[made in china]

Take a break from consumerism

 

[Mikej]

Take a break from consumerism

Is that what it is? A break from consumerism? I have three vehicles. The oldest is 52 YO and the newest is 16 YO. That's three vehicles and a boat. They all run/drive. When I HAD to buy a new computer I lost a bunch of stuff that wouldn't run on Win 10 and still miss those things. I see my father when I look in the mirror.

 

[titsonritz]

Bah humbug.

 

[OldTengu]

I'm not big on Christmas anyway.

 

[Dungannon]

I see my father when I look in the mirror.

I do to, and sometimes that can be embarrassing. Like when I remember saying 'I'll never be like that when I grow up!' I used to look away and roll my eyes when my grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles talked about their aches and pains, medications, how tough the world used to be, etc. Now I resemble those remarks.

 

[Mikej]

I do to, and sometimes that can be embarrassing. Like when I remember saying 'I'll never be like that when I grow up!' I used to look away and roll my eyes when my grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles talked about their aches and pains, medications, how tough the world used to be, etc. Now I resemble those remarks.

There's good and bad to it. I've got pretty much all the bad and no where near all the good.

 

[made in china]

I see my father when I look in the mirror.

never seen my father.

happy holidays y'all

 

[TTSX]

Oh yeah? Well I haven't bought Christmas presents for 6 years, now. Stopped participating and don't miss it. I still celebrate the season, but in my own way

 

[Labradorian]

A good friend of mine never gave me another gift after visiting me in about March and noticing I hadn't opened it. That was 40 years ago.

 

[CountryGent]

Meh. One of the reasons I positively can't stand the holiday is consumerism is such an irrational, wasteful, and an ugly aspect of our culture. (And, though respectful of others, I'm not a member of the faith in which that holiday is important.)

But my wife and kids absolutely love everything Christmas (or Chris-Chris as they called it when wee ones). They, or rather we, will still have a warm, happy time regardless of whatever supply bumps there are. Who cares what plastic-fantastic crap doesn't make it to the store shelves.

 

[PNW Pineapple]

Bought our kid her presents a few months back. This is a manufactured crisis at this point. All those ships waiting outside ports around America right now prove that.

 

[Hop Sing]

Bought our kid her presents a few months back. This is a manufactured crisis at this point. All those ships waiting outside ports around America right now prove that.

I am curious - could you explain that more, please? Sounds intriguing.

Back to Christmas stuff, I knew an old farmer who when he was a kid, used to walk 6 miles to the nearest little town to watch other kids open presents because his parents couldn't afford any. Makes today's materialism kind of sickening to witness.

 

[PNW Pineapple]

I am curious - could you explain that more, please? Sounds intriguing.

Back to Christmas stuff, I knew an old farmer who when he was a kid, used to walk 6 miles to the nearest little town to watch other kids open presents because his parents couldn't afford any. Makes today's materialism kind of sickening to witness.

The US shipping crisis is not going away as 33 cargo ships float off the coast of LA waiting to dock

Port delays in Southern California are near a record high and helping drive major shortages in the US, as massive ships wait weeks to dock and unload.

www.businessinsider.com