It’s a strange world. The news is full of plastic destroying the oceans whilst I am inundated with Christmas catalogues. If there seems no correlation between these two then turn the pages of the catalogue. It is one page after another of plastic with tinsel and decorations for the plastic tree, artificial plants and so much more. Vast numbers of shipping containers bring this plastic tat here and not a single item has a recycling symbol on it. Because the catalogue exhibits no environmental policy, or information on its sourcing or how to dispose of it, I despair.

Responsibility

However, none of this tat appears to be made in Britain and it is imported by people solely for profit. People who have no concern over what happens to it. People with no responsibility. Or is it the ones who buy this stuff that are irresponsible? Does it make them happy, buying polluting rubbish? This year, it is displayed even earlier because Christmas retailing was already underway before November. Surely, it demeans Christmas because the tat gives none of our people work and overwhelms councils who have to dispose of the waste. It’s a sad reflection upon our society that the gift of Christmas is presented as pollution and innocent dead creatures. Well, excluding hedgehogs!

Prehistoric Gifts

Did they give gifts in Zuri‘s time, in 2200 BC? I doubt it but rest assured that if so, they would be made of wood or other organic materials. The gift would be created outside a hut, by hand, perhaps using bone from a creature they had eaten. Consequently, everything would rot down over time and not pollute. For certain, I worry that Zuri would be impressed by the glitter of a string of tinsel. She might even see it as a gift from the gods, that plastic tat. We, or course, know better, don’t we?