Tree and advent calendar advice

[StrangeGlue]

Baby is due on Christmas Eve so I was thinking of putting the Xmas stuff up a bit early this year (not October! Normally I do it late on). But I have no idea how long live trees last - what's the earliest I could do in December?

Also DD will be 3 and is 'getting' Xmas so I want to do her an advent calendar. I try to avoid sweets/chocs on a daily basis but if I do tiny gifts will it all get a bit too much by the time the big day is here?

Advise warmly appreciated!

*advice

Last year DS was very happy with a picture advent calendar. She's too young to compare notes with friends and complain.
Live trees in pots last longer, and can then go in the garden, if it ends up being a really short tree spell, you won't feel diddled as you'll have it next year?

We bought a cut one last year in the first weekend in Dec and it was fine, but not sure, I think it might have been a no drop variety.

We have a reusable fabric advent calendar - each day DC take a felt decoration out of a pocket and put it on a felt Christmas tree. I add the occasional choc coins, tattoos etc. I think a cardboard one is fine at 3. There are some lovely wooden and fabric ones about but be careful about whether you want to saddle yourself with sourcing 24x little gifts, every year for the foreseeable! Another option is a nativity scene where she'd open a drawer each day to get a little figure and they gradually build into a nativity scene. But they can be pricey. Lego's another idea but I don't know if they are reusable.

Thanks the felt decorations on a felt tree sounds lovely! Will look into non-drop trees.

DS is three and I am going to avoid chocolate calendar for this year, hopefully he will be excited enough by the pictures behind.

I would love a nativity one for myself where you get a different character each day but can't seem to find one.

For really small gifts for an advent calendar that aren't going to be overwhelming before the big day, I opt for a christmas sticker or temporary tattoo (only one per day cut from a sheet; so a sheet might last one to two weeks). I also get christmassy hair clasps and bobbles, so split packs and pop them in drawers to break up the sticker/ tattoo.

We now put our tree up on the first weekend of December. I love it!

And not sure if your thing but we're doing This this year... Elf letters from 1-24th December. I'm really excited. I'm going to out a coin or stickers in each envelope!

My sister and I each had a mini (artificial) tree that went up in our rooms. We had reusable advent calendars with a little tree decoration in each day and gradually decorated our own tree. We would fall asleep with the tree lights as night lights. The decorations were the same every year, but once a year (after we finished school for the holidays) we could choose one new decoration.

Fresh tree will last longer if you remember to keep it watered and put it in a colder bit of the house if possible (we always turn off the radiator next to ours or it droops much more quickly).

Thanks everyone! I've had a good google about and have plumped for an advent calendar where you get a sticker a day to stick to a Christmassy scene.

Think I'm going to go for getting the tree the 6th December as it sounds like it'll last okay.

Love the idea of individual kids trees too!

Ooh missed the elf letter link. Will check that out!

I saw a brilliant alternative Advent Calendar..will try and find it

Here

Our littlest would love those wall stickers.

Lovely advent idea friend has given me is to wrap up 24 books label 1-24 n have under tree n each eve open one n snuggle up n read with child. Ds is 4 he loves books n we will have a new baby by end Nov so will be nice to do with him.

Trip to works or book people order for packs 10 books needed though