The root veg of all evil?

DID you see the punch ups at Aldi that kicked off over Kevin the carrot?

People were fighting to get their hands on the hideous cuddly toy and his equally creepy sidekick, Katie, stars of the discount chain’s Christmas ad.

Queues had formed at 5am on “Orange Thursday” three hours before the £19.99 figures hit the shelves.

And, despite being rationed to two per shopper, they sold out in just four minutes.

But within hours Kevin and Katie had popped up on ebay where veg profiteers were flogging them for £100-plus.

And it all sparked a run on their veg patch pals, Tiny Tom and Russell Sprout, who are now also sold out.

Inflated

Bonkers. But a perfect example of how peer pressure and pester power can get to hard-up parents – and even force them into debt.

Because if all your kid wants for Christmas is a two foot carrot, you’ll scrape that £100 together and root one out somehow.

You’ll be failing them if you don’t, says the Jiminy Cricket whispering in your ear.

This year millions of Brits will be forced deeper into the red trying to pay for the festive fairy tale flogged to us in scores of sparkly commercials.

The great Black Friday swindle piles on even more pressure – buy, buy, buy those bargains while you can...even though they’ll probably be cheaper after the “sale”. According to Stepchange Debt Charity, three million people already have problem debts, unable to pay essential bills and with escalating interest payments.

A further ten million are teetering on the edge of the precipice, with seasonal credit set to drive them into debt.

A third of people surveyed by the charity say they’ll borrow around £200 to pay for Christmas.

Taken nationwide, that would mean a debt bill of £3.5billion.

Most people will take at least seven months to pay off a festive debt but one in 25 will be saddled with one for over three years.

Stepchange’s Richard Lane said: “Only a third of people say they can comfortably afford Christmas.

“But there is massive pressure to conform to norms of present buying and celebrating.”

Like forking out a fortune on an over-inflated furry carrot.

Kevin may have caught the kids’ eyes, but parents need the vision to resist the Christmas consumer con and help them see what really matters.

Because being with loved ones and making the most of what you CAN afford is the recipe for a golden Christmas.

A 24 carrot one in fact.