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?

@Thwackit

YANBU. The Jo Malone one (priced at £325) is a pretty ridiculous way to count down to Christmas, same as most other high end beauty advent calendars such as Liberty’s etc. I’d rather get six full size products that I’d really like for that price!

Let’s be real, it’s just a way for businesses to bulk sell a load of travel / sample sizes at a premium because of the appealing little boxes and windows in the packaging.

It’s just a shame that children and teenagers are now viewing calendars which are priced as expensively as a Christmas gift as a mere warm up to the day. Ultimately, I guess if people have the money, some of them will weigh it up and think their children should have one. I personally won’t be getting my daughter one because I’m conscious of not saying yes to everything she asks for, whether that makes me a meanie or not!

I don't think they are being sold at a premium though. That is why they are popular. You might prefer full size but fewer but not everyone does.

I've never had an advent calendar 😞

@Dochas121 - that sounds really nice.

@solania

I always used to have a chocolate one as a kid (and I think usually a paper one as well) but DH is a vicar and looked a bit askance when I brought Advent calendars up after we married. He didn’t object when I made one and put chocolates for each of us plus a bible verse into each day, though 😂

@solania - last year a Christian charity that are working with us gave my DC Christian advent calendar. They had a chocolate in each door and a picture that matched up with a little booklet that came with it. You could read a section each day which added up to the Christmas story.

@Moraxella - they usually have them in WHSmiths and Clintons. And I've already seen lots in John Lewis.

@Thethreecs

We don't even do advent calendars 🤣🤣 they might have got chocolate ones when younger when I remembered. Was it last year or the year before there was a thread on here about advent calendars, this was when I learned about all that is out there. I was shocked to see the size of some of them, some were like dolls houses. Every day the people posted pics of what they received. There was food, cosmetics, everything and many cost a few hundred pounds. There were cheaper ones for under 100 but still expensive to me.

I also learned about extravagant advent calendars on here a couple of years ago! 😀 I didn't even know adults had advent calendars before that!

I bought myself the no.7 one from boots but that will be me sorted for a year, it cost £47. I've got my kids the book advent calendars instead of separate books for Xmas and ds will get a chocolate one, dd won't because she doesn't like chocolate.

Yanbu, she can get a body shop one as part of her Xmas present if you can afford it or she waits till she can afford it herself.

@FrankButchersDickieBow

I just did a helpless, hissy laugh at your comment. Thank you

I might do one for my friend -

24 little notes of things I think are great about her, or things she has done this year that I really admire etc...

Is that cringe??

Yanbu - it’s getting out of hand. I’m not religious but it feels like rampant consumerism. My kids get a simple chocolate one although this year they have Lindt teddy ones which were a little more £ than the standard Cadbury’s one. They were BOGOF in Wilko though so I don’t feel too bad.
However like a total hypocrite I have asked my DH to get me the Pukka tea one 🙈. It’s one different herbal tea a day and I thought it would brighten up my day! It’s plastic free and healthy though!!!

@firstimemamma

Yanbu op! My 3 year old has a lovely little felt advent calendar with pockets and I'm going to soak it up for as long as I can. I dread the year he suddenly gets bored with it and wants something bigger and better.

My 14 yo still likes the picture ones so you might be lucky!

I can remember one amazing year when us 3 kids were allowed a chocolate one with little mini dairy milk pieces in it! Usually we had the picture ones and had to tell mum each day what our picture was.

I got picture ones for my kids when they were very small. Then a couple of years when they were into Lego they had a Lego one to share. One year I ambitiously tried a good deed one as someone had given them the little fabric pocket one, so I put in a good deed to do and a chocolate each, that wasn't popular

We watched the segment on This Morning the other day and they were shocked at how expensive the "adult" ones are. I agree they're aimed at individuals and couples who want to treat themselves, perhaps I'll indulge myself when the kids have left home!!

I've noticed that book ones are a thing now, but I used to do that with all their Christmas books anyway, we read a different Christmas story every night of advent but we had plenty of books both theirs and my childhood ones and we went to the library as well, that's a much more environmentally friendly way to approach advent and more akin to the spiritual side as Christmas stories often have morals or good deeds in them as well as fun.

@EdenFlower

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).

They sold these in Lakeland

@mam0918

Belladonna12 - in lots of countries Christmas day isn't about gifts at all.

Santa and the Christmas day gifts are mostly British/American and hard to know how the 24th became the 'main day' here.

I believe in many more countries Christmas is about Mass and feasting and they do actual gifts on Epiphany (such as Befana or Magi) than on Christmas (Epiphany is when Jesus was given gifts because it took the kings, wise men and everyone else 12 days to travel there).

My parents live in Spain where traditionally the DC got their presents on Epiphany but apparently many do presents on Christmas day (or Christmas Eve, I'm not sure) as well now. My DM always sends a book for the DC from the 3 Kings which I leave under the tree on the 6th along with a 3 Kings ornament I have that opens and I put a few chocolates in there.

I remember the advent calendars which only had pictures. 😂😀

@BlankTimes

For something different, The Jacquie Lawson digital Advent Calendar is to use on PC, tablet or phone, there's something different happening in the scene on each of the 24 days, plus other activities and puzzles to do. Suitable for all ages.

See www.jacquielawson.com/advent for explanation and intro video.

My DF sends this to my DC every year. They love it! They look forward to making snowflakes and decorating the tree all year!

My friend brought me a hotel chocolate calendar the other day. It feels very extravagant. I usually buy mine when they are reduced on about the 5th December. I was when another friend was buying a body shop one. I could t believe that anyone would spend that much money on it.

@Silverswirl

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

We have a wooden one for my dc. Refilled each year with sweets. Shared between four children who still take turns!

I just get my kids a cheap chocolate one and I get a more expensive chocolate one for myself.

I have seen a Halloween advent calendar.

I have to admit, one of my favorite Christmas traditions is reading the MN beauty advent calendar threads. It's generally, 24 days of people bitching and complaining about what they got each day, but then doing it over again next year.