Advent calendars aren’t gifts?

[pingoose]

MIL has just dropped off an advent calendar for DD (halfway through advent but never mind). I’d already bought her one weeks ago, so now she has two which seems unnecessary.

AIBU to think you don’t usually give them to other people as gifts? They’re the kind of thing I enjoy buying and was looking forward to doing once I had kids!

[shinynewapple]

Oh dear. I bought one for DS's GF. I'll probably be the subject of a future MIL AIBU thread!

[SilverySurfer]

Don't be so miserable and be happy your child has a grandparent who loves them enough to buy them gifts. You are both really ungrateful and unreasonable.

[user1471449295]

Don’t see the big deal and think YABU and ungrateful, and a little controlling and precious

[Houseworkavoider]

I bought my DSis one for her Xmas present. It was a beauty one and we usually only do gifts for the DC now but she loved it and I loved that she got something nice every day.
I think it’s a nice, well meaning gift!

[Pilot12]

My MIL gave our DS an advent calendar on 30 November because she thought we wouldn't have got him one. I was livid but didn't say anything, why would we not have got our four year old an advent calendar?!

We actually got him two, a chocolate one and a Playmobil one so now he has three. DP and I also buy ourselves one, our house is full of calendars!

[rhubarbcrumbles]

Grandparents like to do this kind of thing for their grandchildren.

[Ponoka7]

"why now and not in time for the 1st? That annoys me."

Probably because the expensive ones are less than half price and the cheap ones are 25p.

[LilQueenie]

why now and not in time for the 1st? That annoys me.

[Charm23]

I think it's perfectly normal for a child to receive these from other people who are close to them (grandparents, aunt/uncle or maybe even close friends), which I suppose is technically a gift but would only be truly weird if they wrapped it up?
When I was a child I'd often get an advent calendar from my parents and another one from my grandparents so I don't see an issue. Suppose it depends what you were used to growing up but it's not weird at all to me.

[Leflic]

She saw it cheap and couldn’t resist.
Normal to give them as gifts.

[PremierNaps]

YABU of course it's another MIL thread. Wouldn't be MN without one.

[flowery]

”Mil decided years ago that it was her job to buy advent calendars - initially would only get picture ones and now gets kinnerton ones that the kids don't like” If they don’t like those ones why don’t you tell her? ”...and I end up guiltily buying them an extra one which we have to hide if she comes round.” Eh? Why would you feel guilty if you buy them one as well and why on earth would you hide them?

I know this sound really ungrateful but like you it is something I would have liked to buy myself for the kids and having two advent calendars seems excessive

Most of Christmas is excessive really. If we never did things that brought a bit of joy because they are excessive there would be a lot less joy in the world.

We bought DC a chocolate advent calendar each. My parents also sent them a Lego Harry Potter one between them. Didn’t occur to me to do anything as daft as hiding their chocolate ones when mum and dad visited last week.

OP I’m unclear why it matters whether advent calendars are defined as a gift or not. Why does it matter? Your MIL bought one for DD. “Wasn’t that nice of her” is as far as your thought process should have gone.

[mrsbyers]

In our family and everyone I know they are bought as gifts yes - would you feel the same if your mother had bought it ? They’re reduced in the shops so she probably picked one up as a treat - I did same for my husband , am I not supposed to buy him a gift either ? Is he not meant to have bought me Clinique etc ones in the past as a gift ? I think you’re being precious and ungrateful there are plenty kids who’s GP’s don’t give a shit about them

[LagunaBubbles]

Seen this before with sone people and will never understand why some people sound so precious about it make it out as if Grandparents are in the wrong if they buy their FC an advent calendar "how dare they, that's my job" type of thing. Nuts.

[Yetanotherwinter]

Of course people buy them as gifts for others!

[Dinosauratemydaffodils]

My dm still sends my 27 year old cousin an advent calendar.

We have 5 on the go at the moment. A chocolate one each for the dc, a shared playmobil one, a haribo one which is a family one and a picture one from my dm.

[Babybel90]

Yep, not gifts. Along with other non-gifts such as a single packet of Asda own brand pocket tissues, Asda own brand hand soap and dish cloths all individually wrapped with gift tags (I’m looking at you MIL)

[RagamuffinCat]

My birthday is on the 30th of November, so I have been bought advent calendars as birthday presents in the past. I love them!

[sonjadog]

I had three each year growing up, from my parents and from each set of grandparents. I turned out okay. I don't see the problem with opening three little windows each morning and eating three small chocolates or whatever is inside.

[Pinkandgreenfloral]

Husband said he’d get me a Gin one, as I had complained that I never receive an advent calendar.
He didn’t of course.....

[Iggly]

I don’t think that advent calendars are something to get precious about to be honest. It’s not up there with any milestone at all whatsoever and your dc won’t think “shit why didn’t mother ever get me an advent, why was it from granny”

[Janicejaniceahmfallin]

Yep, OP, it’s a thing. I utterly frigging hate them. No objection to doing the days of Xmas (always remember it being so magical and exciting when I was little, even though that was back in the days of advent calendars with ‘glitter and no chocolate’, as someone else put it!). And no objection to the chocolate, in fact - I always let mine have a pick from the tin before school.

But I really object to some ugly piece of shit corporate advertising covered in cartoons and filled with cheap junk littering up the place. Nevertheless we received one per child from both DM & MIL every single year for over a decade. But it’s really not the hill to die on, so you just need to get used to Spongebob fucking Squarepants or whatever arriving on your doorstep and try not let it ruin your Christmas spirit

[Thirtyrock39]

I am in the minority that agree with you op.
Mil decided years ago that it was her job to buy advent calendars - initially would only get picture ones and now gets kinnerton ones that the kids don't like and I end up guiltily buying them an extra one which we have to hide if she comes round . I know this sound really ungrateful but like you it is something I would have liked to buy myself for the kids and having two advent calendars seems excessive

[Unhappyvegan]

DS has 2, one from mil and one from great grandma.

[coconuttelegraph]

Wow ok now I feel bad I haven’t been buying them for nieces etc

Why would you feel bad? People are telling you it's a totally normal thing to do, that doesn't mean the same as it's a compulsory thing to do.