How many advent calendars . . .

[NoSquirrels]

is too many?

My DCs now have 3 - 2 chocolate ones each & 1 felt one with presents & surprises to share. DH bought 1 chocolate version before I could stop him, DMIL bought the other chocolate one (in previous years she's opted for the traditional picture-window type only), and my DM made the felt-surprises one, which is so lovely.

My DH has 1 (chocolate, bought by his DM).

I have none but only because cheap chocolate tastes like ass
I may buy an advent candle instead.

Anyway, now we have had to negotiate 1 opening session at breakfast, 1 after school, and 1 after tea. I am slightly dreading the other set of GPs (divorced ILs) turning up with one now!

When I was little I'm pretty sure we only had 1, quite possibly shared between siblings!

[JasperDamerel]

We have one felt one where you Velcro figures to make a nativity scene, one picture one (which is mine, really) in the mornings. After school they get to take turns with the CBeebies one and another computer one.

[NoSquirrels]

Oh no - I can't add electronic ones too!

You see, every year I think, perhaps this year I'll buy them a Playmobil/Lego etc calendar . . . and then I think about the mass onslaught of advent calendars, and how if we start withe the Playmobil we might never get out of the house, and decide against it!

[TheGreenNinja]

Two felt, one blackboard countdown and one chocolate one (to share). Plus an activity-a-day calendar should be arriving today. Which makes 5 to divide between 3...I need one more!

[pookamoo]

We still have 4 in the cupboard from last year!

DM gave them a chocolate one each, we got them a Lego one to share, and we have a picture window nativity one too...

I really want to do a special one with messages and activities in it, building the spirit kind of thing, but it would be too many!

[PurpleGreenAvocado]

One per child, they don't need more than that. Mine are sharing one this year, they saw one they liked which was expensive and so they suggested taking it in turns.

[NoSquirrels]

That's the thing, though, isn't it pookamoo - it's the only time of year they can have them, so I don't feel I can put any in the cupboard, for fear of offending GPs, so really it's DH's unauthorised chocolate calendar buying that's tipped it into ridiculous levels, and as he presented it to them a week ago before the other ones arrived I can't hide any!

Easter Eggs I can ration, but Advent calendars just don't see like you can bring them out months later!

[BaronessEllaSaturday]

One chocolate one and one which was free in a magazine, it's a picture of a Christmas tree and you stick a sticker decoration on every day until the star goes on the top on Christmas Eve. I don't really see the need for more than one but the free one is too nice to ignore and I like the idea of seeing the tree getting more decorations on it as Christmas gets closer.

[NoSquirrels]

I am just about cool with the advent calendars but there are a couple of threads going about ILs appearing with STOCKINGS which is blowing my mind. There cannot be more than one stocking!

(The Christmas that I was pregnant with PFB I thought I'd be buying one of those wooden perpetual calendars and filling it with thoughtful gifts each festive season, but then the GP advent calendars started arriving and I realised how much bloody work was already involved in being Father Christmas and having a job and general domestic drudgery of being a parent and reassured myself the baby was too young to care this year, and then I had more children and . . . well, then I just accepted I was never going to do it!)

[GlowWine]

We have 2: first come the playmobil ones that have been recycled three years now, and then I made one for both DDs that I filled with (two near identical) sweets or small things (pegs on a washing line style). DH has his own, a felt pocket type one I made him >20 years ago before children, and I still fill it for him. And younger DD also made a paper window type one for her big sister. And finally I gave in and bought myself a quality choc/marzipan one this year (Niederegger, recommended!)
Luckily our GPs are too far away and to be honest they'd not give one without asking.

[PurpleGreenAvocado]

squirrels I have one of those, it's now lovingly filled with special top-of-wardrobe dust from the land known as Spare Room. I suppose I could tell the DCs that it's rare Narnian dust.

[NoSquirrels]

rare Narina dust

[NoSquirrels]

Narina? Narnian, autocorrect, Narnian, you illiterate bastard!

[irregularegular]

Until this year we've only ever had one between the two of them. I fill my own and they get chocolate every 4-5 days. I've done Lego, jigsaws, riddles/jokes...this year there was some disagreement over what to put in and I was soft and ended up doing one jigsaw and one riddles/jokes.

Chocolate is more exciting when it's a bit unpredictable.

At home we only ever had one between us with just pictures so I don't think my children are too deprived.

[NeverNic]

We have tons!! Before children I had a picture one and I filled a wooden one for oh. Growing up we never had chocolate advent calendars. Aside from them not being very festive, I hate how scruffy they look but the inlaws buy them. My parents bought picture ones for the kids. I have bought a playmobil one for my eldest (really so I can have the figures next year!) and a wooden tree with magnetic baubles for them to share - so 3/4. Paper is the biggest hit with DS1 and the tree with ds2

[attheendoftheday]

We have one that's a string of little buckets which I loving fill with tat harvested from party bags throughout the year. They get something each (and the dog gets a biscuit).

Then we have a picture calendar of the gruffalo.

Then we have a wooden counting down thingy.

Then we have our own elf on the shelf alternative of a felt tomten doll which hides around the house with a piece of choc for each dc when they find it. Not exactly an advent calendar, but they do get daily chocolate.

4 is excessive, really, but I can't get too get up about it. It isn't the maddest thing our family does.

Never tell me more of the magnetic tree calendar? Where would I get such a thing?

[Bragadocia]

One for DS, one for DH. DH wasn't meant to have one, but I could see DS was disappointed with the one I bought him (he insisted it was fine, but it was clearly a bit crap, so he chose something else and DH has the original one).

When I was a kid in the 80s, my two sisters and I took it in turns to open a door on a cardboard advent calendar. No chocolate.

[RaisingSteam]

We have one with fabric pockets. Four Cadburys Heros are jammed in each pocket so everyone gets a decent chocolate! DS had a happy hour arranging them all "every fifth day I will have a Twirl..."

[NeverNic]

It's a Melissa and Doug one which I bought in elc this year. So far it's been a big hit. Its out of stock in elc now, but it's this one. m.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_171050715899?CMP=SSH&tmcampid=28&tmad=c&sku=8077532&ci_src=18615224&ci_sku=8077532&placmp=SSH_1008547134_375690008_20907325928&mkwid=srHDk0krg%7cpcrid%7c85289611208%7cpkw%7c%7cpmt%7c%7cpdv%7cm%7cprd%7c8077532&gclid=CND5tNfXvMkCFVVAGwodWZUAHQ&m-referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.uk%2F

[R0nJ0n]

We have four. I bought DD a Smiggle one, and me a traditional picture one and that was going to be it. Then a friend gave me a Hotel Chocolate one, which caused a lot of 'snot fair, you've got a chocolate calender and I don't grumbling from DD, so I got her a Poundland Minions chocolate one to shut her up.

[PennyHasNoSurname]

I bought a Playmobil.one in January for Dd, so she has that, plus DH bought DD and DS (baby) a choc.one each. The a friends mum dropped them a choc one each off too.

Silly really, but it is christmas.

[ftmsoon]

We have none this year! Previously MIL has bought for DH but hasn't this year. I made a fabric one a couple of years ago but haven't got the Xmas box down yet. DD is too young to worry this year.

[NoSquirrels]

When I was a kid in the 80s, my two sisters and I took it in turns to open a door on a cardboard advent calendar. No chocolate.
YY Brag - this is my memory of it too! Hence why I am so overwhelmed by the amount of them this year - surely it's ruining the anticipation. And I also feel like NeverNic about the scruffy non-festive-ness of themed cheapo chocolate ones. Bah Humbug!

I am cheered though to see that other people have as many if not more. Perhaps I should buy the Playmobil ones for next year . . .