Non chocolate advent calendars

[HeyThatsNotMyName]

This year, I'd love to have advent calendars that don't involve chocolate every day in December! However, I have no idea what type of calendars are available for both adults and children. What have you bought before in the past that have gone down well with the recipients?

I had the cheese one last year which I found quite disappointing. I thought there would be a new cheese each day but it was the same 5 on rotation, with 2 I didn't like!

I want to do an acitivity calendar this year but wondering if at 17 months my DS will be too small?

Sorry not read full thread but here are some beauty sneak peaks

www.reallyree.com/?s=Advent+2018

We have a big wooden one with numbered doors around the edge, each door has an ornament in it to hang up. It takes up a lot of room but i do like it. Know my kids are old enough this year to start arguing about who opens the door so that will make it more stressful. MIL always buys them (and me and my husband!) a chocolate one each as well, God knows where she thinks we can display them all but it's very kind

Last year I bought the dc an advent calendar with little rubbers in. It was from The Book People and very reasonably priced. The DC loved it and still play with them now.

For little ones, the new Happyland advent calendar is out: www.elc.co.uk/imaginative-play/happyland-advent-calendar/148125.html#q=happyland%3A&start=17

I absolutely refuse to buy one with chocolate or gifts/toys in. Always a traditional winter or nativity scene with glitter and dcs take turns at opening the window to see the picture inside. DCs are 27, 24 and 16!!

@Fstar thanks for posting the link, I was just thinking she'd be posting those soon. I had the liberty one last year - might get Harrods this year. I love the neurosing I'll do between now and ordering date!!

Pork scratchings advent calendar from the Snaffling Pig:

www.snafflingpig.co.uk/collections/all/products/pork-crackling-scratching-advent-calendar

We have a reusable one with little buckets, I squirrel away party bag tat during the year to fill it plus a few bought bits.

Have also done playmobil and Lego ones in the past.

We also have a nice cardboard wintery treehouse that the dc add an extra decoration to each day.

For little children, I highly recommend Thomas Minis and Peppa Pig Toy Calendar (which were both exclusive to ASDA last year!) The toys you got in each of them were really good.

However the best one of all, (which is easily done yourself), was the Usborne Book Advent 'Calendar' which a local Usborne Rep created for us. She wrapped 25 small thin paperback books, each with a different date in Dec of course, and mixed them all up & stacked into a bundle tied with ribbon! My DD really enjoyed and looked forward to finding out which book she would have that day!

I agree about the meaning of Advent being lost.

However when your children are far too young (mine was 2 last Xmas) to fully understand the meaning they just became the ones who miss out?
Personally, her and I both really enjoyed the morning routine of opening her calendars! It created a lovely little memory that I (& hopefully she?) will always remember. Where exactly is the harm in that? It is still a celebration of sorts. Ignoring the Advent period completely is much more disrespectful in my personal opinion?

I have two little ones, have had the happyland advent calendar and various playmobile/123 calendars. I do agree about it being OTT to get a toy every day but didn't want them to have chocolate every day on top of the usual rubbish that is around at this time of year. They are so excited for their calendar every day, it's so sweet.

I'll look into the Peppa Pig calendar at Asda, sounds wonderful for the 2 year old.

Last year I found a good selection in John Lewis's Christmas shop. Plenty of traditional ones - snow scenes and glitter!

There were also several in the church where they were selling charity Christmas cards.

Lego/toy type ones seem quite popular. You could try getting a fabric/DIY advent calendar and a set of lego etc, put parts in each so as they get to Christmas they can complete the set.

One my DSis did one year was to buy some cheap children's books (charity shop/pound shop) that fitted DN's reading age and wrapped each one up separately and numbered them. Each day of advent DN got to unwrap and read a new book.

I had a rituals one last year. It was really good

I have a fabric one from tiger and I fill with toys that are currently popular with my girls. One year we did Moshi monsters, vintage kinder egg toys (turtles/penguins etc), Lego minifigures, ooshies/mashems. Always buy second hand from ebay/carboots. So never Costs more than £15 for 48 small bits. Cheaper than an individual toy calender and tailored to their current interests. This year I have bought a bundle of 70+ shopkins with 2 dolls for £14 posted from eBay. The dolls and extra shopkins will be wrapped as a Christmas gift.

There's usually an empty chocolate tub or pretty biscuit tin for then to be stored in as they get them and then they are played with all year around without getting lost in the toy boxes :)

The Playmobil ones have always gone down well with my DC. Last year they got this tree house and this christmas chalet and both went down a treat.

I get my mum the M&S beauty advent calendar each year and she loves it.

DS got a Match Attax calendar year before last which he loved as he was collecting the cards at the time.

This year I'm going to get this Schleich Horse Club calendar for DD who is horse mad.

Superdrug do a range of calendars with smellies- including children and men

Mrs Brimbles does a stationary one for £26 which is suitable for teeneagers/adults.

I buy myself a handmade fudge advent box from a local fudge dealer. It’s amaaaazing!

In the past I’ve bought DP a pork scratchings one, DD a make-up one, DS a marshmallow one, and I’ve created some with little numbered bags and then put various things in them, such as aftershave testers, guitar picks, novelty erasers, money, sweets etc each day. DS1 left everything in the bags except the money, mercenary little bugger!

Oh and I got DD the Smiggle one last year and it was shit! The 24th big door was a watch which was broken and there was a broken yoyo, some cheap mini pens that didn’t work, and rubbers etc - Pound shop tat at premium prices!

My kids usually get a cheap chocolate one and I do one with activities that we all love.

But last year dh bought me a vintage style picture one, and the boys loved it! They ran to my picture one before their own chocolate to see what the picture was. They knew the chocolate was the same every day!

This year ds 2 is getting a hot wheels calender tho cos I got it for a steal and he is obsessed.

Are you ready for the best advent calendar ever 😄 well... It's a hit here.

Get thee to pound land and get a pack of tiny brown envelopes. The plain ones we used to put our dinner money in. And a gold marker pen. Next, to wilko for red and white twisted twine and a pack of tiny craft pegs.

Online to ebay, or to a charity shop, and get a cheap 100pc puzzle. Number envelopes 1-25 in fancy gold writing. 4 pieces of puzzle in each. Seal. Peg along candy cane twine. Voila!

My ds races downstairs to put the final 4 pieces in his puzzle before he even opens his stocking on Christmas day.

This year ours is a star wars puzzle, 50p from barnados. The whole thing comes to about £3.50.

Last year I got DH the pork scratching calendar as he's not a huge chocolate fan. He got me the soap and glory one. The year before I made him one as I wasn't working and we had spare time to do things. I got 24 envelopes and wrote notes for each of them such as:
Festive afternoon tea
A walk along the coast
A Christmas movie night and snacks

There was also the occasional bag of haribo in the mix as he's a sweet fiend but the haribo calendars seemed expensive for what you get

I loved making it as it was only as expensive as I made it and it was lovely to spend lots of time together in the run up to Christmas