Ideas for advent calendar fillings...

[HeadFairy]

I've got one of those advent calendars with pockets and rather than put sweets in I'd quite like to put some toys in. I've been in to the toy shops round here and looked at all their party bag stuff and it's not terribly inspiring. Some of the pockets are teeny weeny so some of the things need to be equally teeny weeny.

I did one of these for 2 years then realised it was a major PITA and 'lost' the calendar before the following Xmas!!

Anyway, things I put in included:

-glow in the dark stars that you can sick on ceilings
-hairclips/bobbles
-tiny erasers (bought a multi-pack so these covered a few days)
-mini highlighter pens
-bath pearls/tiny bath bombs
-stick on craft jewels

check out hawkins bazaar website, you can get loads of little bits of tat for well under a pound

stickers, lego/playmobil (particularly people), little laminated photos, magnets, crayons, dolls house stuff, post-it notes, bindis, little bead bracelets...

hmm, can tell i have a dd!

I found a small wooden xmas tree at tescos one year that has teeny wooden decorations. the boys get the tree at the same time as the calendar. the decorations go in the pockets (together with some jelly beans).

haha, yes, very girly watercress... mind you ds would love most of those things, minus perhaps the bindis, dolls and bracelets. thanks for those ideas...

Norbert, I'm sure the "magic" will wear off for me too after the 5th or 6th year of finding teeny tiny things to fit in teeny tiny pockets and I'll crack and just buy a box of celebrations and chuck them in :o

I started this when DD was 3. She's 10 now, and it's costing me a bloody fortune this year!
Claire's Accessories have done well out of me...

Oh yes, I forgot about Christmas tree decorations. I did that last year and it was lovely.

M & S have some numbered mini bars of chocolate. 25 of them in a pack.

you can reuse the decorations you know

All the above and I've got balloons, stretchy animals, small cars, tiny glider. I plan to fill any gaps with biscuits!

Hmmm just perused the stocking fillers in The entertainer, they're too big! I guess I could take things out of the packaging and just chuck a playmobile figure it, though I'm only going to put one in because they're flipping expensive.

I need even smaller stuff, think stocking fillers for Liliputs :o

Goober, I'm trying to avoid the whole sweet/chocolate thing, he has too many as it is :o

My 18 iear old still loves our advent calendar with pockets. She used to share it with her sisters but now gets it to herself until DD2 comes home from uni then they share hoever many days are left. The pockets are quite smal so I either out small things like lip gloss,a 50p piece,small seets, hiar bobbles in the pocket or I buy something a bit biger EG socks,note book,bubble bath which I either put in a bag on the notice board or hidre them somewhere and put a note in the pocket with a clue on whre to find the present.

Perhaps you could get stickers on a theme? Or if there's a sticker album set, with enough stickers for all the days, it could build up over the period?

What's wrong with putting sweets in the calendar?

Marbles, plastic animals, keyring, lego pieces/figures, notes - with jokes or promises, coins.

earwicga, he eats far too many sweets, just trying to be smug careful with his teeth!

I have one of those calendars, but we do it a bit differently. I put a small chore in each pocket (make your bed, take away used plates, feed the fish...)The children take turns at emptying the pockets and doing the chores, then I put 50p in the pockets. When the calendar is finished and full of 50ps, the kids pick a charity and donate the 12pounds.

It just makes them think outside themselves for a little while. We have done this for years and years, since the kids were very small.

I plan, when the item doesn't fit the drawer, to put in a treasure hunt clue for them to find the item around the house. (I also don't intend to put the item in the right place till the night before.)

stressedHEmum, what a brilliant idea. I really like that.

wow stressed, I'm impressed. Ds is only three, not sure he'd get the concept of charity, mind you, it's never too early to start :o

Ah, ok. Mine don't get many sweets at home (as I am a pig and scoff down anything nice at home) so I have to really resist eating their advent stuff!

yeah, unfortunatley I my mum is very weak and seems to dish them out like... well, candy :o