WHETHER you think of Christmas as a religious festival or a commercial event designed to part people from their hard-earned cash, there is no doubt that a break from the routine day-to-day struggles of work and life is very welcome.

For those in work, it’s a chance to escape, have a few parties and relax with family. But for others the days will be difficult – surrounded by temptations they can ill-afford. The pressure on people to buy bigger and better each year is enormous.

In my younger days, sales were strictly post-Christmas. Boxing Day is when it all began. The traditional Boxing Day sales resulted in a major revenue stream for businesses. Today, the sales seem to be year-round.

The new “Black Friday” has, this year, seen sales in the run-up to the actual day and post Black Friday deals, more like a black month than a day.

I noticed a new phenomenon this year... ‘Cyber Monday”.

I wondered if the new series of Dr Who had begun early and the cybermen were invading Earth (in my view the most terrifying of all of Dr Who’s enemies).

But no, it was just jumping on the bandwagon of naming days for ridiculous events that are not events at all.

We’ve been warned that these so-called deals are often not great deals at all. Often, it’s old stock being shifted to make way for new models.

Companies must generate sales somehow and sales seem to be the way forward. For the major retailers who can survive on small profit margins it’s fine, but for smaller businesses, keeping up with the ongoing sales makes life very difficult, if not unsustainable.

It brings into question the issue of cost versus value. We all know of those shops who seem to have a continuous sale on – everything is always “on sale”, bargains galore.

There are laws about items having to be on sale at the higher price for a significant period.

But marketing people can often get around the laws and make statements that, while not misleading, will suggest to people that the bargain is greater than it actually is.

How often do we see great big signs stating that there is 50 per cent even 75 per cent discount only to find with the use of a magnifying glass that it’s actually “up to 50 per cent”.

Generally, there should be a significant proportion of the sale items at a 50 per cent discount for it not to be misleading. The problem is, what’s a “significant” proportion, five per cent? Ten per cent?

Then there are the sales on sale prices. You’ve saved 20 per cent but get an extra 10 per cent off on this day only – but is that an extra 10 per cent on the original price, or 10 per cent on the sale price? You feel sometimes that you need a maths degree to be able to cope with the calculations.

Christmas shopping can be quite exhausting mentally. People, me included, can be gullible. We love a bargain, we like a treat. It’s the job of advertisers to convince us that we “need” something when, in truth, we probably don’t need it at all.

The long-term effect is the creation of a throwaway society. We replace rather than repair. Clothing in particular is disposable creating environmental issues as we throw away cheap clothing rather than repurpose or recycle.

I have to admit to not being a follower of fashion. I noticed the other day that I still wear a shirt bought more than ten years ago.

It’s a nice shirt, a good shirt, well made and although a little faded it’s not frayed.

So why would I get rid of it? Yet some people seem to want to change their whole wardrobe each year just to be fashionable. I’m always reluctant to throw things away, my usual phrase is that, “it might come in useful one day”. But “one day” never seems to come around. In preparing for Christmas this year there’s been some rearranging of furniture and a bit of clearing in the loft as the decorations get their annual outing.

The loft is where the “useful one day” items live. That’s led to unearthing things that haven’t seen the light of day for many years.

I took a deep breath and decided to declutter. Where possible, things have gone to the local charity shop or they are recycled. I try to make sure that as little as possible goes to the tip for burial or burning. At this rate I can see my New Year’s resolution already – stop hoarding and recycle or re-purpose. We have a runaway consumer society that needs to reset itself. Not everything we want we need and sadly, for many people, what they do need they may not be able to afford.