AIB Bah Humbug about advent calendar inflation?

[Rhubarbgarden]

Advent calendars used to be a cardboard nativity scene with pictures behind each window. As a child I found opening these little windows exciting out of all proportion. Then, gradually, advent calendars started having chocolates in the windows. I thought this was rather sad. Now, suddenly, everyone has got advent calendars that have boxes and pouches for presents. Presents! 25 presents! I don't like it. I don't like it at all. Where will this end?

My mum refused to get us chocolate ones until we were teenagers. I genuinely loved opening the windows of the paper ones. DB didn't and rarely bothered (but he's never been very excited about Christmas)

So then we got chocolate ones - my mum thought it'd motivate him to open them! It worked up until his birthday (mid-December) then he ate all the rest ofthe chocolate and closed the doors back up....once my mum found out she just bought him a block of chocolate on Dec 1st and said when its gone its gone! She bought me calendars up until quite recently though.

A couple of years ago I bought a size 20 Primark fleece with a Christmassy design for a quid, a friend sewed them into 24 pockets and I glued on some numbers. Got a 2nd hand playmobil nativity set and put one piece into each pocket. Oh and a chocolate for each of the kids! They really seem to like having the same thing each year. I did find Mary juggling fish in the bathroom and someone started arming the angels with weaponry from other playmobil sets...

I never had choccie ones growing up and never wanted them either - little picture seemed much more exciting than a slither of cheap chocolate (even though the calander was recycled from year to year too). The dc have never had choc ones so far but they're quite young so don't know if they're missing out or not. Got this years calanders from Aldi and this morning they got a picture of a christmas tree and a drum. Now THAT'S what christmas is all about!

I always had picture ones - I think the chocolate ones only started in my teens anyway, and still remember some of the more beautiful ones (Dad, last week: 'That's good - we've still got them in a drawer so you can re-use them!')
My favourites were the 3D car ferry and airship that you had to assemble first, and the glittery clock one.

My mum has just gained loads of Good Grandma points by tracking down a lovely Medici Cards one with pictures and some adorable bunnies in bed with laden stockings, and posting it to me.

I admit to celebrating Advent and Christmas in a totally secular manner, but tinsel, robins, presents, trees and snowmen are one thing; Thomas the Tank Engine and crap chocolate just aren't in the right spirit!
I got my first choc calendar when I was 18 or so, and was hugely disappointed by the near-inedible bad chocolate. Ds is 3 and not a real chocolate fan so pictures will do nicely again. Will see whether he's discovered pester power by next year...

We have a huge nativity scene picture one in our lounge, which MIL bought us.

I have a Hotel Chocolat one hidden from DH even though it has two chocs a day as designed for couples my Dad bought me.

DD is only a baby, but we will use a traditional German one I had growing up, on which you hang your own presents, so it can be as modest or as frivolous as we chose.

I have ordered some M&S advent Christmas crackers with origami nativity figures inside. But they haven't arrived yet? Has anyone else got these?

I have just made one for the children that is actually lots of little homemade parcels scattered into a pretty box, each with a number peg and my youngest was beside himself with excitement at opening the first one today! Can this really be wrong?! I have even blogged about it on www.travelsaroundmykitchen.com so I suppose I am quite proud of my idea. I admit to a bit of chocolate in some parcels... Will I burn in hell?!

Advent calendar here is only every Sunday (or Saturday depending on schedule etc. Weekend anyway.)
I have collected little craft things, decorations, nice bath things/soaps (cool ones from e.g. Lush), stickers, little ornaments, little books/stories etc. (and a few small but nice sweets/chocolates) over last few months (some from sales).
-Divided it all up between 4 x-massy gift-bags. Sealed with tape. One bag each weekend. HOURS of play, craft, fun etc.
For daily "counting down" we have one of those candles with numbers on.

Another bad consumerist mother who bought her DC's the Lego Star Wars one. (But I did get it for free with vouchers I won, my two have to share it, and I told them it was going to be one of their major presents, they just got to open it early.) It is a huge hit, and they've been playing with the first item in it all day, and they can't wait to open the doors for the days to come.

I will agree with the anti-chocolate sentiment, though. I taught my kids to be chocolate snobs, so they think all the calendars with bad chocolate to be as vile as I do.

I was gutted this year - I wanted one of the traditional picture calendars like I had as a child. I found some lovely ones online (can't find one anywhere in an actual shop) but they were between £6 and £12 to buy, then there was £3-4 postage on top! Deeply peeved :(

The Book Depository is your friend pombear - free delivery worldwide (saved my bacon last year when I lived in Foreign):
www.bookdepository.co.uk/search/index?searchTerm=advent+calendar&searchSortBy=popularity&category=2455

DP is a resolute atheist, but he came back from Sainsbo's advent calendar-less because "Peppa Pig has nothing to do with Christmas" - he wanted proper religious pictures.

I bought a fairtrade chocolate thing that is a bit weak on religiousity altho' it has a few angels around the edge. He is a bit grumpy!

I blame the childminder for the chocolate thing. I didn't even know such things existed!