This year has been a shopping lesson on the internet from Temu to just weird things from YouTube shorts to AI generated Amigurumi patterns. Things aren’t as they appear. In fact AI has made it hard to believe anything you see anywhere. News stories that are AI generated, peoples pictures are not really them. Heck if they can clone a President or a Princess how are we to know who is real and who is fake. Anyway back to the things I have purchased and felt I got ripped off…no judging my purchases.

1. I bought what I thought was a big picture of Santa, leaning over the manger and it was a rolled up 12×16 rolled up canvas, that I need to find a frame for. Temu
2. Then I bought some Parasite Cleansing pills, that stated they were made in America but in truth came from China. Not swallowing those. Wanted to return but they gave me some blue stuff that was also the new suppliment. I did take the parasite cleanse for 10 days…nothing happened.
3. I saw this really cute advent calendar with gnomes, because gnomes are our thing and it also came from China. In the ad they showed these good size gnomes and in truth they are little plastic gnomes which is great for my table tree. But the box that the gnomes were in is impossible to get open without destroying the calendar, so I slipped them all out the bottom of the box. No advent here. My gnomes are all free and hanging out in my little village under the tree.
4. This last one is just really stupid of me because I had heard from other crocheters to be careful about AI generated amigurumi pictures but it was on ETSY. Etsy unbelievable. I bought the instructions for a Santa and his sleigh with reindeer. I only have partial instructions and those instructions would no way in hell make what the picture shows. Absolutely not going to happen no matter how great a crocheter you are. Funny thing is they even sent Crochet terms for those that don’t know how to crochet but no instructions on how to give Santa his nose or his belt like in the picture. Santa isn’t even stuffed! (shaking my head) I have asked for a partial refund due to the partial instructions I was sent. I am not holding my breath. If you come across a Trixi on Etsy, buyer beware. She is out of the UK. I could give you her whole company name but that wouldn’t be nice. She may still give me my refund. Cross your fingers.

So, let the buyer beware the thieves are lurking in all corners of the internet and they are out for us all. I have vowed to be more careful in 2026 but I have also vowed not to spend so much money on frivolus junk. Reduce my consumption and eliminate the clutter in my life. Remember just because you like it doesn’t mean you need to own it.