What is in your DC December 1st box?

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I've got DD:
Christmas bedspread
Julia Donaldson book advent
Wooden keepsake advent
Elf on the shelf activities book
Little Miss Christmas book
Reindeer headband
Christmas PJs

Baby DS has got a white chocolate calender, a wooden keepsake advent and PJs.

Well this is all a bit unkind to a well meaning question. We don't do this but we have an advent calendar MIL made that goes up with chocs we buy to put in.
To be fair the cost of the chocs to go in is probably as much as a few books and nice PJ's that some people do.
After the last few years I say the more magic and fun added the better. As long as you can afford it and you don't feel Instapressured into it.

I don't buy stuff for 1 December other than the advent calendars and mil buys them a tree decoration each but I do bung some Christmas related books, films, cookie cutters etc into the Christmas decorations storage box so that they're kept a bit of a novelty for December. When they were younger I spread them all out in a kind of display on the breakfast table on 1 Dec

In Waiting For Santa, the animals are waiting for Santa. Then, in a shocking plot twist, Santa arrives! Afterwards he goes away again.
😱😂😂

Don't they get enough stuff for Christmas?!

Blimey, the concept of Christmas Eve boxes blew my mind when the trend started. And now this. TBF, out of the two, a box at the start of December means more use out of stuff.

I’m obviously old, because I remember the sheer joy of getting our Advent calendars. No gifts in them, not a single chocolate behind a door. Just a glittery scene, with all the doors and the anticipation of what picture would be behind them. That, plus decorating the tree/house and then the whole lead up and anticipation of the Big Day, made December exciting for me. Am starting to wonder if I need to sue my parents for festive neglect!

A pony

A what?

My ds is too busy absorbed in his normal life to even notice, until school finishes.

We'll start Christmas on Dec 9th when he breaks up, by decorating the house.
New PJs on Xmas Eve. Presents on Christmas day.

I hope the box has air holes!

Actually if all this box this box that, elves . I think I would have fainted as a child with too much stimulation and excitement . My poor parents who worked their socks off would be carted off with exhaustion .

My DS has 2 "advent" calendars. One is started on 1st December. The second one is started 3 days later, as a count down to his birthday!

Why do people get their backs up about this stuff so much?

It's just making Christmas and exciting and magical time so our children. It's not a big deal surely? Either do it or don't but there's no need to come on and say our children are spoiled and our traditions are ridiculous.

Just do what you want.

Perspective for what?

For me and many others Christmas isn't one day. We enjoy a month of Christmas activities, watching movies, seeing lights etc. Would be kinda hard to fit that all into one day.

You've never bought anything made in China then?

Or tested on animals?

Or anything with any negative connotations at all?

Didn't think so.

I’m obviously old, because I remember the sheer joy of getting our Advent calendars. No gifts in them, not a single chocolate behind a door. Just a glittery scene, with all the doors and the anticipation of what picture would be behind them

we used to reuse the advent calendar each year 😂 I have no idea why but we'd fold the little doors back in and put it away for the next year. We weren't really poor and I don't think advent calendars were expensive. There were three of us and we took turns too! How times change.

My brother and I used to have to share an advent calendar! (A traditional one, with lots of glitter, not one with chocolate). I remember when I suddenly was able to work out that I needed to open the even rather than odd-numbered doors, as that meant I got to open the big one on Christmas Eve!

@BIWI - brilliant. Did you do the very generous “go on, you can open the first one, I’ll wait until tomorrow” line? 🤣

What a depressing load of cobblers. Let's hope it's a troll.

Precisely this! No chocolate advent calendars, just pictures. And it was so exciting!

Much simpler times.

My goodness I sound like my grandmother

Picture advent calendars = no plastic tat though.

Oh yes, I was very kind to my younger brother @Furries

Our DS is grown up, so these newer traditions, such as elf on a shelf and Christmas Eve boxes etc have bypassed us, but whilst DH is like a big kid when it comes to Christmas, he's very much an old style traditionalist and over the years his wsys have rubbed off on me. I'm not as obsessed with it all, but do enjoy choosing a tree and putting the decs up - usually sometime between 12th and 18th December.

We do still have advent calendars (strictly no chocs or gift type here as they're not traditional enough for us 😉) and more recently we've been packing them carefully away each year so we can rotate and reuse them. We probably have around fifteen/twenty stashed away so we never have the same one two years in a row. Like @SoupDragon it's nothing to do with the expense but more about the tradition for us - remembering Christmases past associated with the calendar we've chosen. We only use one and take turns to open a door each day.

I actually agree with a previous poster (sorry, i can't remember who) that if you're going to do a box, giving one on Dec 1st probably makes more sense as the stuff gets to be enjoyed in the run up to Christmas Day itself.

Whats this...on top of a Christmas eve box and Christmas day itself.

As if parents aren't skint enough.

Well, I've now realised I've been missing out on a whole Christmas thing!

Thinking about it, I've probably spotted books like the ones you describe but never thought to buy them because I'd feel it was a waste of money to buy a book for a couple of weeks then it be grown out of. I think I'd also presume books written specifically for Christmas would be a bit crap and a shameless money-grab, the same reasoning behind having never bought a Christmas jumper. But clearly I am wrong. 😂

Meanwhile, in the real world, your child will be the only one w/o a choc advent calendar, plenty of parents (some who can afford it, many who can't) will spend loads on Xmas, will buy tat "just because".

I do think we are becoming more aware (glitter, foil wrap, Christmas crackers), but I don't think thread is an accurate representation of the population.

because I'd feel it was a waste of money to buy a book for a couple of weeks then it be grown out of. I think I'd also presume books written specifically for Christmas would be a bit crap and a shameless money-grab, the same reasoning behind having never bought a Christmas jumper. But clearly I am wrong

Yes you are. Books are surely one of the best things to be passed on, or to keep for any grandchildren.

Yeah, The Snowman by Raymond Briggs - terrible, terrible book 🤔Oh and that tiresome Dickens with A Christmas Carol. And Dr Seuss.

I've never had a Christmas jumper but the kids have.