Bloody advent calendars

[Silverswirl]

When I was little we had card advent calendars that had a picture from the nativity under each door or maybe angels, Holly, a bell, xmas tree etc.
Then when my kids first got advent calendars it was the chocolate ones where a small piece of chocolate was moulded into something. Fine. Cost around £1 Its something they really enjoy each morning and builds the excitement to Christmas Day.
For the last few years it’s been the hero / celebration ones as they saw them in the shop and really wanted one. Ok.. I was a bit 🤨 as they cost £5 each and I have 3 kids but knowing how much they enjoy them we’ve had those for the past few years.
I usually ask the kids if they have a preference on which one they like (ie heroes/ Reece’s / Malteasers etc) or if they want a surprise.
This year I asked my DD age 12. She said that 2 of her friends (I know one is wealthy) are getting the body shop one for £50! WTH? I said no, it’s a chocolate one as usual and does she have a preference and she said Heroes then but sounded disappointed.
So now the large chocolate ones are not good enough?
Why must things just get bigger and bigger all the time? I mean come on, who needs 24 tubes of plastic filled with a tiny bit of cream or similar. Really? Do we need to be having 24 samples of stuff?l and spending £50+ on an advent calendar?
Consumerism is on a runaway train and I just don’t think anything will stop it ever?

I have to agree, OP.

I don't want to take away from those that enjoy them, but I see those expensive advent calandars and think:

a) the manufacturers are selling you the things they used to give away for free (sample sized versions of their products); they must be a marketing team's dream-come-true

and

b) they are at risk of becoming an expected additional expense for some families who already find Christmas a stretch

The body shop ones are crazily expensive, my friend had one last year, it was decent sized stuff, but no way would I spend that on an advent calendar.
My kids get a £5 one at a push, one year I got them lego one's, most days the packets weren't even opened and ive said never again.
Those big expensive ones are really for adults to treat themselves too when they can afford to buy them for themselves (that's what I tell my dds anyway )

I agree op.

It's gone over the top. I buy the traditional chocolate calendar with a tiny piece of chocolate.

When my DDs were children, we had a beautiful Advent calendar that we got out every year, as a family tradition. They took turns opening the door each day, and often remembered what would be inside it.
Advent is meant to be a month of spiritual reflection, cleansing, and preparation for the birth of Jesus - rather like Lent, it should be a time of self denial, not rampant consumerism. Stick to your principles, OP.

When I was young we had a Nativity one between 6 of us.😂😂 we had to take turns opening it.
Dd gets a Lindt Chocolate Advent Calendar @ £5. My Niece has bought her a LOL one this year.

I got an email from Tiffany last night about their advent calendar. £150,000.

Their marketing algorithms need work if they think I’d be interested, I’ve only ever bought one item from them at around £200 😂

The body shop ones are on the cheaper end! Some of the "luxury" ones are £300! Jo Malone, makeup ones, I've seen jewellery ones this year, are people getting these as well as a Christmas present?! Who knows! And yes who actually needs 24 shower gels/body butters? It's a whole other thing now

Yeah, man the advent calendars I had were basic as a kid. Fabric with a quality street in each pocket. There were 3 of us kids and can you believe this...
We actually had to take TURNS opening each day! Between three of us! Aka we got 7 chocolates each for the month.

Nowadays I hear children get their own individual advent calendar.

My dds always had the refillable fabric ones but I used to buy a couple of chocolate coin bags and use one of these each day. On the Christmas Eve pocket I always used to put a little gift too- something really small and cheap, a festive hair clip or a Christmas eraser. Nothing extravagant. I completely agree that it’s all getting a bit much.

We don't buy advent calendars. I made one myself and each year fill it with chocolate/sweets.

Now you mention it I do remember taking turns with the nativity advent calendar. There were 4 of us too 🤣

Yanbu. I still have the same fabric pockets calendar I had as a child. I try to buy unwrapped treats to go in pockets to reduce the amount of packaging!

I was looking a the gin one earlier! I was very tempted but at £50-£80s I decided it was a very expsensive way to buy 1 bottles worth of Gin

I understand the point is to try differnt ones and that lots of little bottles will cost more than 1 big one, but still not for me!

What @Babdoc said.
It couldn't be further from the point of Advent. Call them something else.

You have to let your kids push through the disappointment. It's part of growing up.
(Although saying that I tried "hey you share the advent calendar, it's part of the fun!" and soon backed down after the outrage dial went up to 11!)

We get one for the kids to share, and its not even a chocolate one, just an open window one, they are super excited for that, they get enough chocolate at Christmas without needing it in an advent calender.

Lol, the kids are getting a chocolate calender.

But is it hypocritical if I buy a better one for me....

I do think they’ve gotten a bit out of hand yes.

You could make the fill your own ones and each month through the buy a couple of little gifts / treats to put in it?

The beauty advent calendars, for me, are something to buy or receive as a gift. They wouldn’t be something I’d buy myself. That’s just my mindset though - good on everyone who treats themselves with one, I think that’s great. But for me it would have to be part of a Christmas present.

Some are gorgeous though - I think the Occitane and Rituals ones are fantastic and the Boots number 7 one too if you like that range.

It's a very expensive way of getting things. How about buying your own body shop items and putting them in a reusable advent calendars? We've got personalised fabric ones that look lovely and put a chocolate Santa of other small chocolate and a pound coin in each pocket.

Yanbu

My kids get picture ones, you could always get your kids some and tell them to save up if they want to spend £50 on overpackaged testers.

They can have a shitty picture of a lamb and like it!

Advent is meant to be a month of spiritual reflection, cleansing, and preparation for the birth of Jesus - rather like Lent, it should be a time of self denial, not rampant consumerism. Stick to your principles, OP.

This! It's not an extension of Christmas!

YANBU. When I was a kid we had two different paper/card advent calendars and me and my brother took it in turns every year, as one of them had a bigger window on Christmas Eve and we both wanted that one!

MY DH bought me the Body Shop one a couple of years ago as PART of my Christmas pressie as it was so expensive, and it was lovely - not for a child though.

DS has a refillable fabric one he got as a toddler. I've just sewed a couple for my sister's kids for them but they are the kind of things that you pack away with the baubles and use year after year.

I have bought an extravagant beauty one for someone who had an incredibly shitty year though but that's a once-off and she deserves something nice out of the blue to happen for her.