To think world's gone mad RE advent calendars

[bourbonbiccy]

So I caught a little bit of a breakfast show and they were discussing how chocolate advent calendars should be banned as its not good for children !!!!

Am I the only one that thinks this is just crazy. A little bit of chocolate each day for the run up to Christmas is not going to have a negative affect on your child if they have a balanced diet the rest of the time.

i'm one of the boring folks who refuse to buy chocolate ones for my dcs.
it's nice to keep some elements of Christmas which aren't about kids getting yet more stuff, even if it is just a wee bit of chocolate. And usually pretty shite chocolate at that.

my kids have free access to the sweets drawer. oldest averages 1 minipack haribos a day, youngest 1 square of chocolate every 2-3 days. if its there everyvday, it isn’t exciting and we model responsible eatinng. both much prefer fruit and carrots. oldest is very slim, youngest average (nhs healthy weight calculater).

oldest has a haribo advent calendar, youngest a cadburys one. justvreplaces their usyal sweet consumption

I don’t understand why atheists want Advent calendars at all - why don’t they just buy a pile of chocolate bars and eat them whenever

Because Christmas doesn't belong to the Christians. Because the mid winter solstice festival predates the Christian Christmas story by a very long way. And because a secular Christmas involving feasting and brightening up the darkest days of winter with singing and drinking and lights and indulgence is far far older an idea than any fairytales about babies in stables and wise men. And we enjoy the count down to our glorious midwinter festival, whatever we call it.

I agree with babdoc, and I'm atheist!
Advent is a time of penance and reflection, like Lent. Having chocolate every day leading up to Christmas is no penance. Then you have a feast at Christmas.

My children have never had a chocolate advent calendar (and they're 12 and 10, not pre-schoolers or anything).

I understand most people don't think like this but you're all wrong

Are they a huge thing now? My Granny always bought us the ones with just pictures, but no one else ever had calendars when I talk about Christmas in the 80's. The chocolate would have all been eaten on day one in my case. No willpower even then.

Advent is a time of penance and reflection, like Lent. Having chocolate every day leading up to Christmas is no penance. Then you have a feast at Christmas. Guess all those Christmas parties, nights out before the big day are hugely inappropriate too, Christians wouldn't be doing that then I suppose? And why do Christians have Christmas trees and lights and Santa/Father Christmas and celebrate the birth of Jesus on the wrong date etc.... I don't really care what Christians do, I just don't see a whole lot of sticking to their story from either side.

To the PP who thought I was being scornful or looking for an argument with atheists - no, of course not! I’m simply genuinely puzzled by why an atheist has any interest in marking Advent at all, let alone with a daily chocolate.
After all, you all ignore Lent and simply eat your chocolate on Easter - why is Advent any different?

I am just annoyed at all the premium advent calendars this year. My daughter chose a smarties one in Tesco and it was £10! I made her put it back and get a £2 one. Ridiculous :(

Lucky, my advent calendar was the same! The pictures were nice and day 25 had double 'doors 'to open showing Mary with her child in the manger. No sign of any chocs!

I thought this was going to be about Vloggers who don't work buying hundreds of of pounds worth of calendars for 'content', in which case yes that really is mad.

A shop near me had (an admittedly lovely) paper advent calendar for sale for €27! That IS mad.

I have dug a hole for myself by buying the rather expensive lego advent calendars every year. I decided not to last year and the silent disappointment was overwhelming. So the DC have Star Wars and Friends lego advents again this year and a Reece's chocolate one.
Lucky me has a recycled M&S advent calendar that my DD has excitedly filled up with bit's and pieces. My DM bought me this years M&S calendar but I won't see her till Christmas Eve

After all, you all ignore Lent Loads of athiests use lent as an opportunity to lose weight - actually that's not really restricted to atheists is it?
In fact I seem to remember at state primary the teacher asking, with expectation, what the kids were giving up for lent like it was a thing that everyone was expected to do not just the Christians.
For us non christians it's cultural - here's a guide, I don't think we're that unusual - lent means nothing or at best dieting - Easter means chocolate eggs, bunnies and roast lamb.
Advent means the countdown to Christmas via a Calendar, decorating the house and shopping, Christmas means trees, lights, food, drink, loved ones, gifts, songs...all cultural and very little Christian. My Mil is a JW and doesn't celebrate Christmas because it's not a Christian festival - but that's a whole other debate.

My dd is amazed to find that not only did we only have a picture calendar but that we took it in turns to open the doors.She doesn't remember that she only had picture ones until she was 4.
I did notice this year that there were some nicer picture ones around this year though.

To the pp who had bought one for her 9 month old?! Sorry WTAF. Yes it’s a tiny bit of chocolate, but it’s obviously a much bigger portion for a 9 month old. And he/she won’t know any difference if they don’t have one. It’s totally totally ridiculous and unnecessary.

No issue with chocolate advent calendars when they are older, but why give extra chocolate to a baby who hasn’t a clue either way!?

"My Granny always bought us the ones with just pictures, but no one else ever had calendars when I talk about Christmas in the 80's"

I had those ones and so did my friends, 70's/80's. A selection box was a real treat. I think if you regularly have chocolate, then selection boxes become pointless., but there's still loads on sale.

I watch the reshowing of Classic Coronation Street, it's just been Christmas 1990. My youngest DD (21) remarked on the lack of presents and stuff, but that's what it was like.

When my Sister (63) kicked off about no Adult present, I reminded her that, that's what we grew up with. WC people didn't buy like they do today.

I wish the emphasis would switch to Carbs, its Carbs that's the issue, for everyone, not sugar.

I'm an athiest, but I observe Lent. I know loads of athiests that do.

I give up chocolate etc in November so I appreciate my Christmas food more.

I grew up in the 80s with 4 siblings and for years and years we used the same picture calender and each took turns opening a door, and trying to work out who therefore got to open the big door on Xmas eve. When my children were little they didn't have one but from about 3 or 4 years old they got the kinnerton chocolate ones and would open after dinner rather than have a dessert.

This year I had a bit more money so decided to splash out a bit more so my older two have Haribo ones and my youngest chose a kinder egg.

Tbf we have plenty of sweets and chocolates and things in this house, not daily but more than once a week too and my kids are all bean poles. We moderate what they have, if they had crisps with lunch well they can't have them again that day, if they want sweets from the advent calender well then they don't get a sweet from the variety tub.

We don't see it as a Christian holiday because before they stole it to coax people to convert to Christianity is was a pagan holiday and the calendars are a fun way to mark the days up to the winter solstice holiday. Christians can piss off saying it's their holiday, it was pagans many thousands of years before this and Jesus was born in April.

I was googling advent calendars last week after seeing the M&S one in store and looking up how many of the products would be useful. Was slightly surprised after that when the first one Google suggested was Lovehoney. Not quite sure that's what we would want on our fireplace although the list of products within was rather varied

I’m simply genuinely puzzled by why an atheist has any interest in marking Advent at all, let alone with a daily chocolate.

But @babdoc, as an observant Christian you must know that the Christian Advent very, very rarely begins on December 1st? It begins on Advent Sunday, 4 weeks before Christmas, not any specific date. So Advent calendars aren't a Christian thing at all.

It's a tiny peice of chocolate each day! I think it helps exercise self control. I know kids who have demolished the whole calendar within days. I had to explain to my 4 year old yesterday, that she has to wait for more until the next morning. This morning she opened her door taking her chocolate, saying 'that's enough for today'! So not all bad!

My friend has two advent calendars. One gives her a bottle of wine a day, the other a large cheese. Now that is crazy.

*I don’t understand why atheists want Advent calendars at all - why don’t they just buy a pile of chocolate bars and eat them whenever

As an atheist i don’t understand why Christians wanted to hijack our solstice festivals but hey, we are where we are so why not just be pleased to share our happy times.
We have a wooden snowman advent calendar that we refill with fudge every year. As I have 3 DC’s we have lots of laughs waiting for Mr Snowman to ‘do his magic’ and refill his drawer for the next sibling. My dc’s are 13,11 & 10 now and, although he’s looking a little shabby these days, they all thoroughly enjoyed seeing Mr Snowman come down from the attic again.
People need to get over themselves and unclench long enough to at least allow other people to have fun, even if they prefer meagre themselves.

No issue at all with children having one piece of chocolate per day and counting down to Christmas.

I do however find it baffling how the world of adult advent calendars seems to have gone mental. I follow someone on Instagram who has 4 on the go (2 beauty, 1 candle, 1 gin). Too much, surely. I looked at the JL and M&S beauty calendars, they look very nice but also know deep down I won’t use half of it and don’t want the clutter.