Are there any non choc advent calendars out there for 12 year old boys?

[Happybell]

However open to ideas to choc/sweet ones that are a bit different :)

Lego. I got the star wars one got my dp last year and he loved it

Haribo do a calendar,b&ms sell them for £5

Why not get one you can fill yourself? :)

I've bought 12yo ds the Haynes build your own radio one, was about £6 on Amazon.

Yes lego i got the adult Dds them last year you need to get them quick though i got 2 in november legostore guy said they were almost gone.

There is a Match Attack one, if he likes those? My kids are 6 and 4 so I may be out of touch!

I must have the only two kids not bothered about lego.

Lego have both a City and a Star Wars AC that would be suitable (they also do a Friends one, but that is aimed at girls really). We've got the City one twice now, and DD has already asked for it again this year (some things are relatively similar, always seems to be a Santa and a Snowman, but there is always a slightly different theme too so nothing is quite the same).

Religious shops often have the type with just pictures behind the doors. (I know, slinking off - but it's a "non-choc AC"! )

Would he accept a "fill your own" one, and you can pick up whatever he tends to like (treat-sized sweets, match attack cards or whatever he collects, toy cars, Lego minifigures or the tiny kits .....a mix of sweets and the occasional larger item)?

I was going to post here about this. DS has asked for a football one but I'm not going down the football card route as he's too obsessive!

Looks like self filling for us unless anyone has any bright ideas. Would it be helpful to share the links of what I find on eBay?

In the past I've done envelopes stuck to a board and filled with pokemon cards - packs bought from ebay cheaply. Or 24 balloon advent filled with chocs.

I've got a wooden drawer set that I got from The Works and filled with 24 Pokémon figures. Aliexpress are good for packs of figures.

Pinterest have some good ideas for make your own.

John lewis do a gingerbread one

Getting DS a marshmallow one this year from Naked Marshmallow.

Polly that sounds brilliant - any way of knowing whether it's any good?

What's wrong with just pictures?

Pottering if you've always had chocolate being presented with a picture one is a "pretend not to mind" moment.

If just pictures is all you've ever had you can't miss what you've never had, that's why just pictures was fine "in our day". 3 channels on the TV was fine too.

It's a bit puritanical and boarderline vindictive to get kids used to luxury then decide without financial need that they should give up nice things because it was fine for us to do without in the 70s/ 80s or whenever.

Fair enough. that's why I'm glad I only ever buy advent calendars with pictures in and my kids are young enough that I can carry on doing so without being seen in a few years as "borderline vindictive" then!

I actually LOOKED for traditional picture ones and couldn't find them. Just lots of nasty chocolate ones. I have a wooden fill your own one, which is lovely. Santa magically fills them overnight you see, so you can't cheat...

We've also had the Lego and Match Attax ones, which went down very well.

My daughter laughs at me as I always pick myself a picture only one as it reminds me of my childhood, whilst her and dh open their chocolate and playmobil ones!

12! Are you sure he wants one?

Make you own, a box of 24 presents, some can be two pence sweets, some can be a pocket money toy, yes it costs more but is personal and we do it as art of the overall present, great fun watching them open

I've given the choc ones and the Lego ones etc but my kids enjoyed the picture ones more, as it was just a chocolate-collecting exercise with the choc one - it wasn't as special. Your dc is maybe a bit old for picture one though.

Puritanical and borderline vindictive, that's a tad melodramatic.