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AIBU?

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Original poster

I love Christmas but Advent is pissing me off.

34 replies

MistsAndMellow · 22/09/2010 14:23

A lady I know has three children and she is now shopping for tat things to put in the pockets of the calendars that her three children have. The youngest has severe developmental delay (my son is autistic and I know he couldn't give a fuck either) and "won't notice" and the older two are well, much older. And presumably could wait until Christmas.

She tells me that she has to shop from September almost every day to buy 3 X 24 Shock little presents mainly from the 99p shop / Primark in addition to the rest of it.

I was a bit aghast at the buying of crap just because you can, not because you need to. I've been in the position of having to buy main presents from the cheaper shops so I do understand.

But then I am a total Grinch and hate chocolate advent calendars with Disney / Ben 10 themes because when the chocolate is gone there isn't a lovely picture to see, not properly.

What do you think about all this new fuss about Advent? When I were a lass Christmas started on the first of December. Is it a retailing thing? Confused

OP posts:
sapphireblue · 22/09/2010 14:27

If that's what she wants to do, let her get on with it. I can't see why your friends advent calendars would bother you.

I guess advent calendars are designed to add to the excitement and build up to christmas. They have nothing in them in our house though!

nickelbabe · 22/09/2010 14:28

sorry, Mists, but you can't have christmas without advent.

it doesn't need to be quite so commercial though! i don't like it having to be a race for who spends the most money (apart from in my shop, of course - then please spend loads because my rent's due this week for the quarter and i'm £60 short)

and technically, Christmas starts on Advent Sunday, which is normally the last sunday of november (this year it's the 28th)

NomDePlume · 22/09/2010 14:29

When I was a kid Christmas started on 24th December.....

Advent calenders are pointless crap sold to us by 'clever' marketing folk.

YABU to give a shiny, festive, tinselly shite how this woman spends her cash though. If she wants to buy 72 individual bits of crap that the kids will treat as disposable junk then let her, it's her money.

MrsMellowdrummer · 22/09/2010 14:31

We have a lovely old wooden tree calendar, with little doors to open and things to hang on the tree hidden inside. I love it. It was one big spend many Christmases ago, and we will never buy a cardboardy/chocolaty/crappy calendar again.

It's all about the excitement, not the cheap tat, however people choose to mark it. I guess if her calendars give your friend and her pleasure, that's all that matters.

mazzystartled · 22/09/2010 14:33

yanbu

it sounds joyless

and joy is the point

when so much stuff gets escalated, it makes nothing special

Original poster
MistsAndMellow · 22/09/2010 14:33

Knew you'd say IWBU.

It is her money yes, but all that plastic shite goes into landfill you know. Usually the next day if it's from the 99p shop Hmm

I was roundly flamed for buying loo-brushes ever too often and have now braved a Mooncup so I am feeling sanctimonious about that sort of thing at the moment Wink

OP posts:
wishingchair · 22/09/2010 14:39

Love advent, and advent calendars but hate the ones with a load of rubbish in them. We did it once, it cost a fortune and was rubbish. We have a scene which gets added to every day ... it's lovely and the DCs really like it.

Am considering getting the Christmas Playmobil one this year though and bringing it out each year.

Original poster
MistsAndMellow · 22/09/2010 14:40

Sorry I don't mind Advent, of course not. It's the Advent gifts. I used to look forward to the lighting of the Advent candles in church every Sunday. But then I don't suppose Christmas merchandise even hit the shops until maybe mid November perhaps?

It's a really long time for children to wait. I found almost a month hard as a child. Unfair on this generation I think.

OP posts:
nickelbabe · 22/09/2010 15:44

yanbu about the 99p tat, though Wink

and i love advent candles - when i was a child I made my own advent calendar - i put sweets behind every window.
i even managed to get it sister-proof too! i used sweets that were ones my grandma got from the market and they were foul totally foul. My sisters wouldn't go near the calendar because of those sweets! Grin

Firawla · 22/09/2010 15:50

YABU its up to her what she does, it sounds like it brings her a bit of joy to do this for her kids so let her get on with it. You can find some good things in 99p shops its not all tat, presumably she is digging out the good stuff thats why she is going shopping so much? not just to pick up any old tat and chuck it in the basket which would only take one day..

Galena · 22/09/2010 17:09

We have a wooden stable one and each day you open a door and get another character to put in to build up the nativity. It was expensive, but will come out each year. That way it's exciting to build up to Christmas, but not with tat.

cory · 22/09/2010 17:10

YOu can get advent calendars without gifts, which is what we do. Also lighting a candle at home for each Sunday in Advent.

textpest · 22/09/2010 17:12

"When I was a kid Christmas started on 24th December.....

Advent calenders are pointless crap sold to us by 'clever' marketing folk"

Erm.... I think advent is a religious observance that was secularised not something "clever marketing folk" invented.

Lotkinsgonecurly · 22/09/2010 17:20

We've also got a lovely wooden advent calender. Which I'd like to say was made by Norwegian craftsfolk supervised by FC but was actually from Matalan Blush and was £5 in the sale. Best thing we ever did. I just put the occassional extra treat to go with the wooden baubles already in there and the children take it in turns to open the drawers. A packet of gogos or something similar should be fine for my 2 this year as additional extras and the odd few smarties in some!

Brilliant and no ben10 / barbie crap. However someone me forgot to mention that last year to the gp's and both bought advent calenders which my gannets ate on the 3rd december.

notso · 22/09/2010 17:21

My sisters friend (aged 25)has really expensive stuff in hers like sets of underwear, chanel lipstick etc, since she left home to live with her boyfriend her parents post them both a gift everyday WTF.

PennyDreadful · 22/09/2010 17:29

I once received an Advent Calendar as a Christmas Present.....opened on Christmas Day....think about that for a minute...Confused

BrightLightBrightLight · 22/09/2010 17:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheBolter · 22/09/2010 17:39

So what - it's up to her Hmm

My dds age 5 & 6 each have a beautifully handmade calendar with festive embroidery on each pocket. I fill each pocket with either a chocolate coin, sweet or small toy and I can't tell you how lovely it is for the dds who really appreciate it and find it part of the magic of Christmas.

If your friend wants to do this, it's really up to her. If you have an issue about the general waste and commercialism attached to Christmas then fine, I think a lot of us have, but to hone in on this one poor woman who's trying to do something noce for her kids... well tbh you sound a bit joyless.

catinthehat2 · 22/09/2010 17:41

Do they still have the Blue Peter Advent thing? Candles on wire coat hangers wrapped in tinsel. Most excellent and in no way a fire hazard.

I used to like that a lot.

The3Bears · 22/09/2010 17:42

I would never do that just seems pointless.

I do like the lego ones but ds is to young I usually get him a thorntons one with his name on as he loves the chocs and there very cute :)

inchhighprivateeye · 22/09/2010 17:46

this is the kind of advent calendar I want

BabyDubsEverywhere · 22/09/2010 17:47

Im going to make an advent calendar this year, and in each pocket will be a christmas activity, mine are only small so simple things like a nature walk to collect pinecones, visit santa, make santas cookies, i love it Smile

Original poster
MistsAndMellow · 22/09/2010 18:00

Fantastic idea BabyDubs Smile

Also adding to nativity scenes etc (Christmas thread by stealth)

I'm not joyless though honestly, the Christmas Elf comes on Christmas Eve with new pajamas Shock

OP posts:
lucky1979 · 22/09/2010 18:01

MrsMellowDrummr - I have my eye on one of those from the museum catalogue, it's nice to hear that people like them.

We always used to have an advent candle, I have fond memories of it taking well past dinner time to burn down and my dad trying to burn off three days at a go with a lighter when we'd forgotten

weegiemum · 22/09/2010 18:12

We have a lovely cloth one that MIL bought us when dd1 was a baby - each day you add another character to the nativity scene. we love it.

they also usually get a choccy one (usually bought by MIL too) but I insist on fairtrade for this!

We also have an advent wreath which we light on the four Sundays of advent, and then on Christmas Eve. We read a part of the Christmas story, and a section from a lovely children's book we have, called "Waiting for Noel", which explains what each of the 5 candles stands for (peace, joy, love, hope and then the "Christ Candle" for the Incarnation).

Advent is a very, very ancient Christian tradition, not "new fuss". I have clelbrated it in this way all my life.

What gets to me are the "advent calenders" whcih go right through to New Years Day!!

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