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Original poster

To want to throw the advent calendars in the bin?

109 replies

Pregnantthenfkd · 07/12/2022 08:43

I want to preface this with - I am not actually going to throw my child's advent calendars away. But my god are they grating my cheese.

Does anyone else find advent calendars incredibly irritating? My 3yo has 3 this year (toy one from us, chocolate one and book one from grandparents).

All day long the asking about them, can she open another window? is it the next day yet? Today she was up at 4am asking to open them!! I thought the novelty would wear off by now but we're 1 week in and it's still all day long.

Is this obsession normal? Please tell me they grow out of this!

OP posts:
Mouse820 · 07/12/2022 09:53

Spliffle · 07/12/2022 08:45

Advent calendars should be pictures only. I hate all the others.

We do books in our household :)

Luana1 · 07/12/2022 09:55

There is such a small window in a child’s life where advent calendars are such a big deal. One day you will miss these days OP.

ChuggingtonMum · 07/12/2022 09:55

I feel your pain. Our local church handed out chocolate Advent calendars when ds was 2 and it was a 3am, open all the doors nightmare.

Now we have a refillable one. The magic elves only put the chocolate in the pocket at 7am. It only took one 3am check to appreciate this.

TheYummyPatler · 07/12/2022 09:55

@MillyMollyManky I’d do them all together too. Create one daily event, linked to a clear daily event (breakfast, toothbrushing, something) to help bound it for her.

Purplemagnolias · 07/12/2022 09:55

Three advent calendars? Shock

Wheretheskyisblue · 07/12/2022 09:56

My 3 year old's chocolate one has been a complete pain. We have had a tantrum every morning about only opening one door. I have now put it out of sight and he only gets to open it after dinner. Next year I think I will get an advent candle instead to mark the passing of time with him.

stuntbubbles · 07/12/2022 09:56

Luana1 · 07/12/2022 09:55

There is such a small window in a child’s life where advent calendars are such a big deal. One day you will miss these days OP.

No it’s 24 small windows

Purplemagnolias · 07/12/2022 09:57

I used to empty my chocolate calendars early (and then re closed the doors). What's the problem? It was me that then had none left....

NKFell · 07/12/2022 09:59

YANBU for wanting to, you have been to actually bin them!

They get easier with age! When toddlers I used to pop a chocolate in late at night when they'd gone to bed and say the chocolate appeared by magic overnight.

...Being honest, I did this with my first DC, by the fourth I couldn't be arsed 😂

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 07/12/2022 10:00

goldierocks · 07/12/2022 09:18

I'm not sure if they grow out of them - my DS still enjoys his, and he’s in his (very) early twenties!

I made it for him when he was a toddler, so it's become a bit of a tradition.

Is that stump work? It is beautiful

Oblomov22 · 07/12/2022 10:01

3 is overkill and overwhelming for such a young child.
When at primary we had a rule. After breakfast and you had to be dressed teeth brushed, coat, ready to leave. Only then allowed advent. Worked a treat.

Katiepoes · 07/12/2022 10:02

My currently joyless teen told me not to buy one 'as they are bad for the climate'. I have one of my own, it's a tea one and I love it. We first got one when I was nine back in the 80s - one to be shared among four kids - and my mother banned me from having a go as I was apparently old enough to know better. I am only slightly ashamed to admit I still think HA SOD YOU MAM when I open my fancy one now.

ReformedWaywardTeen · 07/12/2022 10:03

My two are teens and have one reusable one they've had since they were 7 and 5. I do one chic per day and they take in turns because I'm not keen on sweets for breakfast and they always buy cookies and shite at school as well.

You would think at their ages they would be reasonable. You'd be bloody wrong.

This morning there was a disagreement on who's turn it is. I've now said this is the last year I'm doing it.

We had one when I was a kid from my gran and it was a little door with a religious picture. We were well chuffed with that.

goldierocks · 07/12/2022 10:12

Aw, thanks to those who commented on the pic of the calendar I made for my DS. It's a felt kit from Bucilla. They're actually really simple (you need time, not skill!) to sew by hand.

I've made up quite a few of the stocking kits as gifts for family & friends over the years. My Christmas tree skirt is also a Bucilla kit (just a fan, no involvement with the company).

christmaslover88 · 07/12/2022 10:15

Do you have a set time of day they get opened? I think that helps. My 2 year old knows we open them after dinner so isn't asking through the day

Mouse82 · 07/12/2022 10:16

TheYummyPatler · 07/12/2022 09:55

@MillyMollyManky I’d do them all together too. Create one daily event, linked to a clear daily event (breakfast, toothbrushing, something) to help bound it for her.

I agree with this.
We do ours at night, dinner, teeth, open book and read then lights out.

Trinity65 · 07/12/2022 10:18

goldierocks · 07/12/2022 09:18

I'm not sure if they grow out of them - my DS still enjoys his, and he’s in his (very) early twenties!

I made it for him when he was a toddler, so it's become a bit of a tradition.

That is really lovely

WimbyAce · 07/12/2022 10:19

My 2 year old isn't fussed about hers at all. And my 7 year old hates getting up anyway so actually is a good way of getting her out of bed!

Goldenbear · 07/12/2022 10:32

Well yes it does get to a point where they have self-control or can understand delayed gratification but im afraid I found that to be around 7/8 for my eldest, probably 4 for my ordered DD! My two are 15.5 and 11 and my Mum always buys them an expensive chocolate one each. My eldest - the teenager definitely won't get up for a piece of chocolate, not even 2 mins earlier the opening of the calendar would require- I opened it this morning for him as he couldn't be bothered but he also hates sweet stuff in the morning so he put it back in the calendar. My 11 year old DD is incredibly self-disciplined and ordered, she is the kind of child that would resist the temptation in one of those psychological experiments they do on children on TV, most give in and eat the chocolate when told not to, she would be the one that doesn't. The concept of the advent calendar is one door a day and that is what she sticks to!😆

FirstnameSuesecondnamePerb · 07/12/2022 10:54

If you have 3, you have too many.
One, with a set point eg after breakfast makes life easier.

Feelallright · 07/12/2022 11:00

Mine get one picture one only. It’s fine. It’s for advent, not Christmas, so I’ve never seen the point in them having gifts or sweets as part of advent. That would spoil Christmas for us. There’s no drama. They like looking at the pictures and seeing what’s the best one. They get one each, but when I was a child we had a picture one to share, so we took turns.

Cheesuswithallama · 07/12/2022 11:08

Your problem is having 3

W0tnow · 07/12/2022 11:13

Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 07/12/2022 09:30

Yeh of all things to say no to...why would this be the thing?!

Show quote history

Right? Of all things? You make an excellent point.

A few reasons. They were never a thing in my day. Like halloween, I felt like I was being drafted into another ‘thing’. My house was already full of plastic tat. I have 3 kids, 18 months difference between the three of them. I’d be having the same argument 3 times, every day. No, you have to wait until tomorrow blah blah blah. I said no enough times a day already. Hell, I said no eleventy billion times whenever I went to the supermarket checkout. Let alone having to buy 3 of them. The reality of paying through the nose for stuff that I didn’t want. Stuff I’d probably end up stepping on. Paying 3 x the value when I could just give them a square of chocolate every day in December. The fact that, like most kids, they got plenty of sweets and gifts already.

I know. Bah humbug. But there’s something about them that irritates me. The same reason I’ve never done elf on the shelf I suppose.

Now, if my now 15 year old wanted to spend her own money on one, I’d be fine with that, but she wants me to buy it. Nopity nope nope.

aSofaNearYou · 07/12/2022 11:15

My DD does this a bit but I don't think it will be helping that yours has 3. Makes it harder to get the point across that you only open one a day.

girlmom21 · 07/12/2022 11:21

Spliffle · 07/12/2022 08:45

Advent calendars should be pictures only. I hate all the others.

My 3yo has a chocolate one and inside they say how many days until Christmas which is perfect for her age.