What sort of advent calendar are you having? Or doing?

[CircassianLeyla]

Reading a thread earlier, I came across the idea of a different Christmad book each day. I think this is lovely and whilst thinking about it remembered I bought a jumbo Christmas activity book for the DC and was going to photocopy bits for each and make a little pack for Christmas Eve but just thought maybe I will prepare little packages for each day with an activity and choc (they look forward to the chocolate at breakfast!).

Does anyone else do something different with advent calendars?

Last year we did an activity advent calendar. A cloth one with little pockets,.which I already had. I planned a christmassy activity for.every.day & it was.great. Things like visiting Santa, making.paper.chains, writing.& posting cards, Santa.train, sticking cotton wool balls on picture.of Santa, church,.gingerbread house, driving around.town looking at peoples decorations

That's sounds great. I wonder if I can think of 24 though!

I have a cloth advent calendar where you add a figure to the nativity scene each day, but I am also going to do a book advent calendar this year.

They normally have just the chocolate ones but this year iv brought a big fabric one that have my boys names on.

I love the idea about putting activities in there too. Shall do that.

Now I cant decided if they should take it in turns or to have two of everything in there?

Ill be filling it up chocolate and some small things from the pound land as yhe pockets are quite big.. ill also wrap them up.

We have a wooden one with pockets. We write a small note in there giving them a clue to find the activity. They do an activity or make a decoration each day, it's very cheap as we were recently given a giant pack of Christmas craft for free, so they can do cards and baubles and whatever each day, at no cost to us. They also each get a small Lego person or whatever in each section.

www.pinterest.com/lizstanwell/advent-activities-2012/ some ideas

I'm having a moomin one this year (I'm 25 but oh well), it has little figures in it. I might get a chocolate one too.

When I was little my mum had one with cloth pockets, but most years she just put chocolates in it anyway, like quality street or heros.

Will take a look at the Pinterest. All great ideas.

My DC will be 11.6 and 14 this Christmas
I have a gorgeous resin tree on a musical stand. The branches have little hooks for the decorations that are in a wooden cupboard with 24 numbered doors.

I can't remember how old it is, but definately had it before my 11yo started school..

We usually put a few chocolate coins in , last year a new £1 each on the Saturdays.
This year I've bought the Lakeland Limited advent chocolate bars (but 'm not sure they'll fit in ).

It's part of my DC Christmas Traditions and might be passed down if they have their own DC (though it'll have to share tenancy between them )

This year I might buy the Boots Advent Calender for me

DD has this and DS has this (although I bought it from Studio for much less that that!). This will be the third year I think that we've had them, the Elf brings it full on Dec 1st. The doors aren't very big so can only fit in a few sweets. We also have a hanging cloth snowman which I put small advent chocolate bars in, have bought these this year. I like the book idea but they already have quite a lot of Christmassy books. The last couple of years we did a colouring in calendar too but this year have gone with this and this instead.

I have finally googled the Elf that seems to be loved here. I might have the Elf bring the little packages.

I've imported a Haribo one from Germany, I got one for my (non-chocolate eating) brother last year and the children liked the look of them so they have one each this year.

Haribo - they might like something like that actually as sweets are more of a treat than chocolate in this household.

we have wooden ones with little drawers so I can put in very small gifts

its the first outing this year .

I have coveted the wooden drawer ones for some time but they are expensive and whenever I think about it DH kicks up a fuss about the cost. He is a Christmas Grinch.

I'm making a felt Christmas tree and then 24 felt pockets and in each they'll be a felt decoration to put on the felt tree. It's just a practice one as my sons only small at moment :D

The wooden ones are actually better value though? I've used a wooden Santa one for the past 8 years that I bought from GLTC in the sale - it was great quality and has become a tradition. It will last until DS passes it on to his family I think!

I store it carefully with an old oven glove over his pointy hat!

Then I just buy little nets of choc balls, raisins etc to add in with notes, activities and such like.

I'm making a felt advent calendar this year for my son (look up 'Felt Advent Calendars' on Pinterest if you're prepared to swoon, there are some gorgeous ones on there).

He's only 1 so a bit young for it this year, but I plan to put little notes with activities into it when he's older. The activities don't have to be madly exciting every day, one of the more everyday ones I remember seeing suggested somewhere was 'Ring Grandma and Grandpa and sing them a Christmas carol'. Or 'go for a walk outside in the evening and admire everyone's Christmas decorations'. Write a letter to Father Christmas, choose a charity to make a small donation to, etc.

We used to have a very sweet calendar made from little rusty buckets but last year I bought a slightly bigger one made of little fabric pouches labelled '24 sleeps to go' etc. The advent calendar has become a big Christmas tradition in our house as DSS doesn't spend Christmas with us and it's nice watching him open it. I spend some of his present budget on the fillings and do different themes every year. When he was still playing with Lego I spent the year collecting different mini figures from him, now he's older and too cool for toys this year I've ordered lots of weird and wonderful confectionery from Cyber Candy, mostly of random American and Japanese things that I know he'll love.

My son 1.9 will be having a different book each day because he loves books. DP will have some Warhammer bits each day, and my best friend will have a lego kit, split up so he has one stage each day.

DD has a advent calendar with drawers and last year there was a bit of paper in each one with that day's activity plus a chocolate or a hair clip or a little present. By about day 8, there were tears on the non-choc days and, by day 11 or 12, her first question on waking each morning was whether there was going to be a choc. So this year, I'm going to save a lot of time & effort and just get her a chocolate one. We'll still do all of the activities but I won't bother writing them down on little bits of paper.