Re DSD's advent calendar?

[PoesyCherish]

DP and I have a cloth advent calendar which we fill with chocolate. We only bought it last year and weren't sure how it was going to go so we bought DSD a separate calendar, just one of the branded chocolate ones. She ended up only eating about 4 chocs and leaving the rest until way past Advent. I think she finally finished it early Feb.

This year we're avoiding chocolate as DP and I are both on diets. Would we BU to use the cloth advent calendar but only put chocs in the days we have DSD?

I don't know if it makes any difference but she's almost 7.

It’s not a bad thing to do, but those advent calendars are a quid and the chocolate is tiny. Even two a day won’t be an issue.

Even two a day won’t be an issue.

But it wouldn't be 2 a day. If she ate it all in Advent it'd be 10 a day because her Mum has decided her plans are more important in December so has stopped almost all contact until after Christmas

Are you asking if it's ok for DSD to only receive advent treats on the days she is with you?

Yes, this

I would say yes to that Poesy if you are using the cloth calendar it's ideal. You put the treats in for whoever is in the house that day.

Thanks @Molokai

Well - so what? Ten advent chocs is probably the equivalent to a packet of smarties or buttons. Maybe two. If it’s not every day and she has a generally good diet - and she’s not a toddler so unlikely to tantrum - then why not?

I think it sounds like a lovely idea, maybe the little Malteaser reindeers or something?

I can see it both ways, but I think if it were me, I would put something cute in each pocket (chocolate coin; stickers; scented rubber or whatever) and let her open them all up to whatever day she is there in one go, eg from 1-7 Dec.

OR I would do that for my DH and enjoy opening it together, and buy DSD a calendar she likes that has toys, eg a Lego one, and let her open a few days at a time as before.

Well - so what? Ten advent chocs is probably the equivalent to a packet of smarties or buttons.

It'd be a lot more than that because we put things like Heroes chocolates or Lindt truffles and the like in the fabric advent calendar.

If it’s not every day and she has a generally good diet - and she’s not a toddler so unlikely to tantrum

Isn't a tantrum all the more reason to only put them in on the days they're here.

I just don't see how it's a problem to have a nice chocolate for every day she's with us as well as another advent calendar at her Mum's and all of the other Christmas goodies we have floating around at that time too (Christmas cake, mince pies, yule log etc)

Some ideas - Hair clips, lego people, hot chocolate packet, jelly sweets, erasers, pencil sharpener, nail varnish, stickers and little notes with an activity for day(maybe Xmas related like baking, visit to local garden centre to look at decorations or craft day)

I don't think you need to put a chocolate in everyday.

My mum has a cloth one and the children totally understand if they are at her house on the day they get a chocolate, if not they don't.

They also certainly don't expect to get days and days worth of advent chocolates on the days they go to their Dads.

They do expect to get everyday at my house regardless of whether they were here or not.

We also have a cloth one. I don't fill the whole thing at once (not least but my 6 year old would just steal everyone's chocolate). I also sometimes put in little extra treats, not everyday so it's always a surprise. I also put in single pieces of a jigsaw puzzles, the puzzle when complete is the first clue to a treasure hunt.

Like PP I think you should fill all the days but not with chocolate, little thoughtful gifts and notes would be lovely. Obviously just cheap gifts then chocolate in some of the days.

(For example my friend has a home made advent calander and she bought a pack of smelly pens off amazon and put one or two in each box, she got a pack of christmasy socks and split them for a few boxes too, a little pack of stickers, I don't think she put any sweets in at all actually).

Our advent calendar is a bowl of 24 individually wrapped gifts - I hated that by 24 December I effectively had three empty chocolate containers cluttering the house. Sometimes it's a chocolate, or Christmas socks, and on 22 December this year, it's a 1,000 piece Christmas jigsaw.

Hmm isn't this just a prime example of how Christmas is becoming more and more commercialised? Christmas gifts as part of advent, Christmas eve box, Christmas day presents. Where does it end? Though fwiw I love the Christmas eve box idea and wish we'd done it growing up. I loved our new pjs every Christmas Eve, it would have been amazing to have rest. Anyway I digress.

On the gift front, I'm not sure we could fit a pair of socks in the advent calendar. Maybe we should give the fabric one to DSD so only her stuff needs to fit in it and we just buy a wine one (I'm trying to convince DP but he's having none of it, not least of all because of the cost of wine advent calendars).

@Hillarious 1000 piece jigsaw sounds fab! Where did you buy it from? I'm always on the hunt for new jigsaws.

PoesyCherish our latest one came from John Lewis, but in previous years I've picked one up after Christmas at a knock down price, somewhere like W H Smith. We've got a small table, just big enough to take the jigsaw, so it's on the go for anyone to do over Christmas. Keeps Grandad happy for hours.

I think it’s nicer to fill every slot, so that they’re waiting for her when she visits. It seems to me that doing so would deliver the subtle message that your home is also and always her home, With her things there even when she isn’t.

but in previous years I've picked one up after Christmas at a knock down price

Good idea! Will be keeping an eye out in the sales We've already got ours this year, although DSD has the attention span for 500 pieces max at the moment so we've gone with a 300 piece one this year.

Lots of charity shops have good quality jigsaw puzzles op?

How about using the elf, sit him somewhere each morning with a clue as to where there might be a gift for her. It doesn't have to be expensive ones, hairbands, socks, a book. Would she find that fun?

How about using the elf, sit him somewhere each morning with a clue as to where there might be a gift for her. It doesn't have to be expensive ones, hairbands, socks, a book. Would she find that fun?

Probably but then I don't think her Mum uses the elf so wouldn't that make her question why he's at ours and doesn't visit when she's at her Mum's?

I would maybe have a few chocolates and little bags of haribo as well as notes for things to do.

I made one for DH a few years back and the things to do included:
A wrapped up walk by the beach followed by an ice cream
Afternoon tea
Cinema trip
Christmas movie night (movie of his choice) with popcorn

You could always include a trip to Santa or maybe a shopping trip to choose an outfit for a Christmas outing/Christmas Day or an early Christmas gift (something small)

If you’re the one filing it and she doesn’t eat much chocolate, why not just use sweets she does like (as well as non-edible gifts).

If you're feeling over commercialised you could do a reverse advent calendar and each day put an item aside for a food bank.