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?

@NewbieAlert

The problem was upgrading from the £1 one to a £5 one, they know there’s room for negotiation! My DC asked for the kinder ones this year. No way. It’s a £1 one or nada.

This reminds me of a video someone sent me:

Woman: "do you want something to eat?"
Man: "what are my options?"
Woman: "Yes or fu&&ing No"

@FrankButchersDickieBow

I whittle one out of fallen branches and behind each door is something prickly so the kids hurt themselves.

Do I win the 'I'm the stingiest' competition?

That comment just sums up the whole problem though, doesn't it?

If you're not buying your kids the Elf on the Shelf, the panto tickets, the grotto visits, the super expensive Christmas trees, the Christmas Eve boxes, all the rest of the stuff and tat, it's because you are a stingy Scrooge.

I saw an advert not very long ago which started with
"Why don't they have advert calendars for birthdays?"

I wanted to answer them: Because Advent.... I mean, advent doesn't just mean eat chocolate for 24 days before an event.

I said YABU only because we're at a different stage in life. When our three were little, they got basic chocolate calendars and stockings, presents etc on Christmas day. Now that they're teenagers, Oa somewhat fancier advent calendar is a proper fun present for them and then they get a stocking and some spending money on Christmas day or a particular item if they've asked for one. It's just different now.

I think as long as she was OK with being told no.

I've not seen any of the Advent calendars that you describe that I also remember opening year after year as a kid.

We had one between 3 of us. Every year it was put away to get back out the following year. We loved it. I suspect as much as kids like the bonkers one they now have.

One of the many reasons not to engage with this festival of the religion of cash. Book advent calendars, breakfast with Santa, trips to Lapland, tack tat and utter shite. So glad I've avoided it since forced religious participation at school.

I am pretty generous at Christmas and i also think Christmas treats start in advent but I totally agree with you. Advent calendars are supposed to be about the nativity. I used to get the old fashioned ones from the local church, that have pictures of the nativity in them, and a cheap supermarket chocolate one. They were happy with those until they turned 18!

All of my DCs class are getting the HP Lego one. I know they are, it’s not just my DC saying it.

My DC is not. It’s consumerism at its finest. No wonder so many people are in debt. It’s madness.

@MargaretThursday

I saw an advert not very long ago which started with "Why don't they have advert calendars for birthdays?"

I wanted to answer them: Because Advent.... I mean, advent doesn't just mean eat chocolate for 24 days before an event.

I like your 'advert calendar' typo as that's effectively what most of these 'luxury'/beauty/gin etc ones are.

They don't need it- it's easy to say no!

We have a wooden refillable one- it has characters of the nativity to get out each day and add to the manger and room for a small chocolate too! Best thing I ever bought- I'm hoping it will become a family heirloom and dd will use it for her own children (in the distant future).

When you're a kid, the best thing you can wish for is a whole day of presents and lovely food (and no school maybe).

At what point did a day full of presents and cheer become so insubstantial that you also need countless "things" all around it like Christmas eve boxes etc etc? It's actually overwhelming.

Totally agree. Ours still get the ones with the picture behind the door. Never upgraded to the chocolate ones and never will. So there

I bought a picture one in Clinton's for £3 last week. The dc have cadburys ones but only the cheap ones.

@SpinachIsAGatewayDrug

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

They aren't a money maker usually.

They are usually sold at a loss or very low margin. Most companies don't have 24 different trial sizes which is why they give full size as making a small run of extra trial sizes is very expensive.

The co-packing cost of putting them into calendars is pretty steep.

They do it to drive trial but I think the jury is out on how many full price purchases they miss out on after an advent calendar. If you've got 24 bits from body shop it'll be a while until you go there again.

I really like the shift to bigger better advent calendars. This year DD has a fidget one, and DS a lego one. I just think of it as a present that lasts throughout December - I think it’s nice the excitement is sustained throughout the 24 days. And they get one less present each on Christmas Day so it all evens out. And yes I do but myself a fancy beauty one each year.

There seems to have been a general trend away from viewing Christmas as the 12 days from 25 Dec onwards, to more of a focus on the 1-25 Dec. And so advent calendars fit nicely with this. But then again I’m Jewish and atheist so I’m not exactly going to lose any sleep worrying about the true meaning of Christmas!

Advent is meant to be a month of spiritual reflection, cleansing, and preparation for the birth of Jesus

Or, for those of us who don’t believe in all that and are simply celebrating the now well established secular traditions of Christmas, it’s a fun countdown to Christmas. Christians don’t own the word advent.

I am guilty of this - I have a jo malone one and an Astrid and Miyu one this year! I absolutely adore them, and if you can afford them it's such a lovely thing to be able to do during December. I'm aware I'm in the minority though. Definitely shouldn't be the expected thing!

I feel like the bigger Advent calenders ruin the excitement of Christmas a bit my children always get a small chocolate one like I did as a child, and I used to to be more interested in the pictures/messages that would be on the doors than the chocolate. I did once have a Simpsons calender once I was little that had puzzle pieces behind some of the doors but that's as big as it ever got, I'm sure my Christmases used to be much simpler than they seem to be for children now but the excitement was the best part.

I think that the items in the calendars usually would cost more if you bought them individually (apart from body shop) so I see them as fairly good value. I think they are for adults or perhaps older teenagers rather than 12-year-olds or younger children though. What people want to spend their money on is no one else business.

When I was little I was a bit jealous of my friends with the chocolate advent calendars but secretly actually preferred my ones with the tiny pictures. I thought they were so magical and exciting, anticipating what the days little picture would be. With the chocolate ones there is no sense of excitement or anticipation, just expectation. There is no way I’ll be getting my children chocolate advent calendars. I think they’re horrible. I do get them one each though!

Advent calendars are supposed to be about the nativity.

I always wonder if people who claim what one part of a religion is “supposed to be” follow all the other “supposed to be” things about the religion too.

I plan to do a relatively extravagant Christmas, but Advent calendars are going to be paper ones with pictures. What's the point of a point of little presents, followed by even more presents? And the waste is off the clock. If you're a believer, Advent is about reflection. And if you're not, it should at least be about building up for Christmas, not getting more stuff before Christmas.

Where did you get that? It’s lovely!