Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To feel sad that a £2 chocolate advent calendar is no longer enough?

218 replies

Ricekrispie22 · 02/09/2018 07:47

There are so many toy based advent calendars around these days and I feel they're just getting bigger and bigger. thetoptoys.blogspot.com/2018/09/toy-based-advent-calendars-sequel.html#more
I much preferred it when you could just get them a good old Cadbury choc calendar and that was enough. It's not like I need any more plastic tat in my house. Is it just me?

OP posts:
simiisme · 03/09/2018 20:18

We all have chocolate advent calendars in our house, despite being 51, 44, 16 & 14 years old :) They cost from £2-£4
The Lego calendars are great - we've never bought one yet. If we did, that would count as one of their presents.

Ravenesque · 03/09/2018 20:19

First I'm going to be a great big wet fart. I think that in my teens we got some chocolate advent calendars - rank chocolate on the whole - but mostly we got old school ones with pictures, the majority religious, because we were Catholics and the calendar was part of the countdown to the big day. Wet fart? Part of me thinks why on earth have they become a sort of must have thing that your children will be upset if they don't have one, when the whole Christian thing has sort of disappeared. But anyway! (Catholicism, so lapsed I'm prolapsed).

If you want to do something special for your children you can get wooden advent calendars from Hobbycraft for a reasonable price. You can use it every year, you can get more than one and have fun decorating it with the children, and then when it's been painted up or something, put little things in each small box for them to pick out each day. That way they get something special that other children won't have and will almost certainly enjoy it way more than some toy manufacturer one with stupid piddly little toys that won't be used for longer than a day.

Ravenesque · 03/09/2018 20:21

N.b. not suggesting people go the full Kirsty Allsop and make little toys for each box. I mean you could, but you could also put in sweets, marbles, a sea shell, just little things that are pretty or tasty. Or something.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 03/09/2018 20:26

I felt like this about the 'glitter' ones, there was no chocolate (70s) but they were lovely and I looked forward to mine every year.

I don't know if they're still made but not as available as they were when I was a child. The chocolate calendars make me cross, plastic inner, pointless pictures and horrible chocolate. I'd rather sling a bar of chocolate at requester and tell them to look up pictures online.

Nerdybeethoven · 03/09/2018 20:28

Local FB page is awash with people asking for recommendations for Santa (including the real one in Lapland or, failing that, Lapland UK), and all sorts of other bollocks. Why has everything become so expensive and complicated? Turns me right off!

bananasandwicheseveryday · 03/09/2018 20:31

here for anyone in the York area, this shop has a wonderful selection of traditional advent calendars. Sizes range from postcard size up to about 24" long. We visited this summer and bought about 5 so I'm covered for a few years. There is an online shop (products come from Germany) as well. If anyone is in the York area, I can thoroughly recommend this beautiful shop.

Sickenedbyguilt · 03/09/2018 20:34

My kids have a medical condition so they can't have chocolate so these advent calendars are a godsend. They help them feel like "normal" kids Sad

Shockers · 03/09/2018 20:37

I had the same paper one throughout my whole childhood! My mum used to close the windows back up each year Grin.

I had favourite pictures that I looked forward to opening.

brizzledrizzle · 03/09/2018 20:37

Mine have only ever had an advent calendar with pictures. They've never complained about it and both seem to enjoy them.

pollymere · 03/09/2018 20:37

Last year I bought us novelty calendars. Mine was an earring one, dd a Lego and dh fancy chocolate. The novelty wore off after about five days. I've noticed in the past that dd doesn't seem to rush to eat the chocolate either. Might go back to pictorial one this year!

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 03/09/2018 20:40

Picture advent calendars can be difficult to find, but last year there was a good selection in John Lewis, and I also saw some at the charity Christmas card 'shop' in the local church.

cherish123 · 03/09/2018 21:31

Every child seems to have toy or chocolate ones - what's wrong with the cardboard ones? Maybe keep this chat until the end of Nov/beginning of December.

Hungryagain · 03/09/2018 21:52

I get my kids & granddaughter their chocolate calendars from Poundland 😂 £5 for the lot!

Bumbledop · 03/09/2018 22:24

I still love the old types with just a picture behind. My children love the chocolate ones for £2.

We did buy one of these toy type calendars one year and the dc had a lot of fun with it, but it was just a one off.

gillys · 03/09/2018 22:29

I'm 49 & insist on buying myself a picture calendar every year, it reminds me of my childhood. Daughter, 20, thinks I'm cute😀. I also have a chocolate one that my mum buys me !

OJZJ · 03/09/2018 22:33

Onceup us too Grin a religious, put away and reused every year...
Ricekrispie Due to a severe milk and soya allergy I bought my son toy ones for a couple of years (didn't bother last year as we were in disney for part if it so did our holiday countdown, the free from had soya and couldn't find ones both dairy and soya free

Kaybush · 03/09/2018 22:36

Gillys I remember those lovely religious picture ones from my childhood!

I'm not religious but opening a new window each day and seeing the incredibly detailed picture behind was just magical. So much more meaningful than scoffing a chocolate for 30 days!!

IamMoana · 03/09/2018 23:30

Waterstones usually have a good range of paper calendars each year for anyone looking.

TeacupTattoo · 03/09/2018 23:35

I've just been tempted by the idea of book advent calendars!

Mummadeeze · 03/09/2018 23:53

My daughter is more than happy with a chocolate advent calendar from Pound World. On the other hand, I had a beauty advent calendar last year and it was genuinely one of the nicest treats I have ever had! Have really had people complimenting me on my makeup ever since, so was worth its weight in gold!

Icanttakemuchmore · 04/09/2018 00:11

Make your own

lunchboxloony · 04/09/2018 00:21

Off track a bit - but we went to our local family-friendly chain pub at the end of August - and saw a fully decorated Christmas tree with advice to book your Christmas lunch early Shock! And when we said WTAF to the manager, she grinned and said it had worked as she was already fully booked. Words failed us.........! But totally agree re advent calendars, my DD at least had one with the pictures and nativity story behind each door last year (£4/5 for a Christian fairtrade one compared to your average £2 Monsters Inc or Dairy Milk one), but I don't think she could cope with losing the chocolate, esp when her DB would have it......Grin

ForgotwhatIcameinherefor · 04/09/2018 00:31

I’ve not RTFT but massively regretted buying youngest DD a Smiggle Advent calendar last year thereby turning every day of December into a mini Christmas morning. 24 extra early starts? BIG mistake.

Gildedcage · 04/09/2018 09:06

We had a paper one, with religious pictures, one for the household that we had to take turns opening. I did this for my DC a couple of years ago. They were devastated. Buying a calendar each seems unnecessary, but I do it for a quiet life, and chocolate is a concession for me I certainly wouldn’t be buying a toy one for each of them Grin

OutPinked · 04/09/2018 09:12

I got my DC a Lego one last Christmas for the first time (to share because I’m not a total lunatic). It was a total waste of money, I’ll never do it again.