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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be mildly vexed that chocolate advent calendars are the norm these days?

212 replies

MoChan · 04/12/2009 13:34

I used to be so excited by my picture one and didn't need chocolate to make it interesting. My step daughter can barely believe they ever existed and clearly can't see the point if there's no chocolate.

OP posts:
optimistletoemumma · 04/12/2009 20:12

Well I'm miserable too then because my DC (17,14,12) have only had a choc one for the first time this year!!!! My DD (14) has a Peppa Pig one this year and a trad one. At their age they get that Peppa Pig and the Simpsons - whether they come from M and S or not- are nothing to do with Christmas! My boys are mildly affronted that they don't have their glittery ones too but I really struggled to buy a flying santa paper one for my 6 foot strapping/rugby playing lad and his equally strapping younger brother!

paisleyleaf · 04/12/2009 20:24

I don't get the chocolate ones. I've not seen any that look nice, once the doors start to get openned they look like a bit of packaging rubbish.
I quite like the fabric ones you see. But for now am sticking with the picture ones - you can never have too much glitter and sparkle. DD's as excited as anyone about openning the door and seeing what the little picture will be of.

BabyGiraffes · 04/12/2009 20:40

Can't see the problem really but haven't got dd one this year, she's only 2 1/2. Have a fabric one, too, with little pockets and will fill that one in years to come. At least I choose what goes in. Mind you, I always had a chocolate one as a child and not once managed to just eat one chocolate a day! Thought up quite clever ways to get to the other chocolate bits without it showing...

nappyaddict · 04/12/2009 20:43

For those people that don't like the chocolate advent calendars, what do you think about putting edible tree decorations (eg chocolate, gingerbread, candy canes, biscuits, strings of popcorn etc) in the ones with pockets/drawers and hanging them on the tree each day.

HuwEdwards · 04/12/2009 20:46

My DCs have festive Simpsons calendars and they eat the chocolate at breakfast time.

jelliebelly · 04/12/2009 20:46

YANBU - I really dislike the idea of chocolate advent calendars (don't think they were invented when I was a child!). My mum has bought calendars for ds (4) and dd (10 mths) and both are lovely traditional pictures - a 3D santa sleigh for ds and lovely nativity scene for dd. ds gets v.excited every morning about guessing what picture might be behind the window - not sure he even knows that choc ones exist

Having said that , they have a fabric advent calendar in their classroom at school and the "happy helper" for that day gets to eat the chocolate treat at break time!

jelliebelly · 04/12/2009 20:48

meant to say that I don't have anything against ds eating chocolate per se I just have a totally irrational oldfashioned view on advent calendars in particular.

jelliebelly · 04/12/2009 20:49

serves me right for trying to be clever with the emphasis...

smokinaces · 04/12/2009 20:52

I'm 27 and remember chocolate advent calendars clearly as a child.

To be honest, there seems to be more variety and options than chocolate ones now than say 5 years ago. I remember XH really struggling to find me one which wasnt chocolate for many years (I'm always dieting these days!) - where as now you can get cloth ones, candle ones, box ones.

My boys have a chocolate one each (ITNG and Toy Story, both non festive, apart from the chocolates which are festive shapes) which they have after their tea in the evening. They also have a huge cloth one with pockets - each day has a little Christmas themed book in it to read.

YABU IMO - if you dont like chocolate ones dont buy them, get a different one instead. And like I said, these days there are a lot more options than there seemed to be 5-10 years ago.

brimfull · 04/12/2009 20:57

yabu
just a bit of fun
lighten up

Addictedtothepc · 04/12/2009 21:05

YABU it's all a pile of commercialised nonsense anyway, chocolate or no chocolate. Surely your choices aren't being restricted and if you don't like the choc ones buy something else or make your own.

It's nice to see what Christainity is really all about. The amount of poverty in the world, people are starving to death and what do we get annoyed about at Christmas a tiny piece of chocolate in a calender - I can see Jesus really agreeing with you on that one.

LittleSilver · 04/12/2009 21:06

Banned in my house.

Picture ones ONLY, religious theme ONLY. Thank you very much,

knickerelasticjones · 04/12/2009 21:10

YA most certainly NBU.

I loathe chocolate advent calenders because they are so bloody ugly. And who needs to celebrate the festive season with Bart bloody Simpson or My little Pony?

I LOVE advent calenders - we have two, one picture one, and one pop up one where you hang little presents on a pop up tree. They're fab. I don't really care what the DCs think of them - I love them and that's all that matters.

And yes, I am totally unreasonable about that.

muddleddaizy · 04/12/2009 21:27

YANBU - dh bought ds1 a Ben10 advent calender. He doesn't understand it and just keeps asking for Ben10 chocolate everytime he sees the wretched thing. Which isn't difficult as it has pride of place on the mantlepiece!

I have been reminiscing about the picture one that my brother and I shared for years!!

ScreaminEagle · 04/12/2009 21:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

NotanOtter · 04/12/2009 22:00

advent calendars with chocolate naff and nasty

pointydogg · 04/12/2009 22:04

We still get picture ones. Mainly because I don't want to have a giant sweet wrapper on my bookcase for 25 days.

fridascruffs · 04/12/2009 22:26

More bloody middle class angst. It's just a bit of chocolate, as many have said, and aren't the twee self-satisfied little 'we have the wooden boxes type and they have a new little toy every day' ones more destructive to the planet with all the plastic tat in the boxes than a bit of milk, sugar and cocoa? Surely there are worse things- like running your tumble dryer or boiling too much water in your goddamn kettle????@??

I am, however, in a bad mood. so I might be being U.

(A vile mood. A it happnes. Oh bloody typos. sod it.)

fridascruffs · 04/12/2009 22:28

Ok bit OTT. time of the month. sorry.

pointydogg · 04/12/2009 22:28

we get our daily christmas chocolate from the chritmsas tree

pigletmania · 04/12/2009 22:29

YABU where is your sense of fun, I love them, though my dd has not got one as i forgot to buy her one, she has not asked me for one so i dont think i will be buying her one this year though.

fridascruffs · 04/12/2009 22:30

Honestly, those wooden ones are allright. I don't mind really.

(too much sherry)

pointydogg · 04/12/2009 22:31

stop, fridA. You;re being too apologetic now.

NightShoe · 04/12/2009 22:31

I'm sorry to say that I really don't get all the moaning about not being able to get a non-chocolate advent calendar and the huge sighs about how commercialism has taken over christmas and who will save the children?

It is remarkably easy to buy any style of advent calendar you want - chocolate, picture, lego, playmobile, wooden drawers, felt pockets, you name it. You could buy any of these on the internet, even my local shops carry a selection of the above. I feel the same about this as I do about those people who moan that they can't find non-pink clothes for their DD or there isn't a decent selection of non-plastic tat available for their children and isn't it terrible what the world is coming to?

There are whole companies that cater to your supposed alternative tastes. Infact your tastes aren't really that remarkable or alternative. They are subject to as much marketing and comsumerism as any other.

fridascruffs · 04/12/2009 22:34

OK pointydogg. Gotcha.

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