Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

‘Traditional’ advent calendars

43 replies

Minionbums · 25/09/2021 22:00

I feel like a massive humbug saying this on a Christmas board…. But I’ve started to find the advent calendars just too much. They’re bigger and more expensive and by the time Christmas comes we’ve all got 24 presents already. If you get a smiggle advent calendar you can’t buy the kids stationary, they’ve already got it all!

What I’d like is a calendar for the kids like I remember from my childhood - a piece of chocolate and a sweet festive picture behind it. Maybe with a message about the meaning of Christmas, goodwill to all men. And for me, a nice paper one that doesn’t cost the earth, I can’t believe the price of them in my local garden centre.

Am I the only one??

OP posts:
Pippinlily · 25/09/2021 22:09

We’ve made it a tradition go to pick our paper advent calendars from a shop in Sth Kensington nr the tube: Medici gallery. The have a back room with hundreds of them to choose from (but you’re right, they’re not cheap!)
They also sell some of them online
www.medici.co.uk/c/1056/Advent-Calendars

Stompythedinosaur · 25/09/2021 22:10

Advent calendars from my childhood just had pictures, no chocolate!

I think it is normal to be nostalgic for things from when you were younger. I still get myself a picture advent calendar each year. But I also understand why they are less thrilling for my dc than chocolate or lego. The world has changed a lot.

Babdoc · 25/09/2021 22:11

Traditional Advent calendars didn’t have chocolate, OP! They simply had a sequence of pictures to illustrate the story of the Nativity for children.
Advent is a time of spiritual preparation for the arrival of the Christ child - rather like Lent before Easter. A time to eschew material things and focus on our relationship with God. Chocolate has no role in that, any more than 24 unnecessary extra presents would.
You could ask if your own church produces or sells an Advent calendar as a fund raiser. If not, your minister, priest or vicar could probably advise where to find a suitable one.

KittenKong · 25/09/2021 22:12

Maybe the a church shop. I still enjoy the old fashioned picture ones with the drawings behind the windows.

2319inprogress · 25/09/2021 22:13

We only have reusable ones because I can't bear exactly what you describe & my kids LOVE their stockings.
The kids do one each day but they take turns on the different ones. (& although they are the same each year they are mixed up so it's not the same thing in the same date)

AmandaHoldensLips · 25/09/2021 22:14

Never mind all that. Let's make the Blue Peter advent candle with wire clothes hangers, flammable tinsel and real candles with real flames!

What could possibly go wrong....

LubaLuca · 25/09/2021 22:15

WHSmith always has the traditional picture ones (there was no chocolate in anyone's when I was young), and small stationers, or there are thousands online.

If you want one with a chocolate, then all the usual shops like Home Bargains and Wilko have Dairy Milk, Milkybar, Galaxy etc.

SinoohXaenaHide · 25/09/2021 22:15

Divine chocolate advent calendars sold in Oxfam shops are just what you need. Bit of chocolate every day, a Christmas advent scene. Don't need the toys ones.

pinkcattydude · 25/09/2021 22:15

Ours had pictures and we had the same one every year. The introduction of chocolate and presents though, I love it let’s make it a season not one day.

Papershuffle · 25/09/2021 22:16

You can get very traditional religious and non-religious Advent calendars from Orchard Cards op.

Not a chocolate in sight!

Weatherwax13 · 25/09/2021 22:19

The Christmas Imaginarium does traditional cardboard advent calendars. Not a huge selection but beautiful. They also have some gorgeous old fashioned looking books for children. All about Santa's secrets etc. They're fabulous.

Shodan · 25/09/2021 22:19

Never mind all that. Let's make the Blue Peter advent candle with wire clothes hangers, flammable tinsel and real candles with real flames!

Grin I loved it when they did those. It meant Christmas was really on its way.

OP I got a traditional paper one last year from Amazon, it was lovely and I've got two on my wish list for this year:
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FZJY6C6/?psc=1&ref_=gv_ov_lig_pi_dp&coliid=I3PX8GBJ8A2NOH&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&colid=3TUGCGIWHETRF

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FZL39JT/?psc=1&ref_=gv_ov_lig_pi_dp&coliid=I20ELVDOBAEPSU&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&colid=3TUGCGIWHETRF

TwinsandTrifle · 25/09/2021 22:20

When you say you can't believe the price of them, the ones in my garden centre range from £7.99 to £13.99.

Are all the ones you've found much more than this?

Original poster
Minionbums · 25/09/2021 22:21

@pinkcattydude we had the same picture one every year. I thought we were the only ones who did that! And my mom saved the wrapping paper and reused it the next year. My parents were born a year or two after the end of ww2, grew up during rationing, so that was just second nature.

OP posts:
Original poster
Minionbums · 25/09/2021 22:22

@2319inprogress so you reuse both the calendar and the contents? I really like that idea. I just don’t want my kids to be sick of ‘getting stuff’ by Christmas. They’re already spoiled. We aren’t a religious family, and I do love shopping, but I am yearning for some meaning in addition to all this.

OP posts:
Original poster
Minionbums · 25/09/2021 22:23

@TwinsandTrifle they were more like £20, which I thought was a lot to be honest.

OP posts:
Original poster
Minionbums · 25/09/2021 22:24

@Shodan oooooooooo that’s exactly the sort of thing I have in mind! Thank you Star

OP posts:
2319inprogress · 25/09/2021 22:35

[quote Minionbums]@2319inprogress so you reuse both the calendar and the contents? I really like that idea. I just don’t want my kids to be sick of ‘getting stuff’ by Christmas. They’re already spoiled. We aren’t a religious family, and I do love shopping, but I am yearning for some meaning in addition to all this.[/quote]
Yes - one is a Lego one I made (although we're a Lego house so to be honest this one does usually get a wee bit extra added each year), one is wooden woodland animals, a homemade felt one & another that is too weird/outing to mention Grin

My kids love the familiarity of them.

Redhotchilis · 25/09/2021 23:10

I make an activity one every year and I bought a traditional gorgeous picture one from the National Trust a few years ago that we get out and reuse every year too. It wasn't very expensive if I remember correctly either.

This is after numerous years of chocolate/lego calendars. The DCs always preferred my activity calendars to the bought chocolate/lego ones and requested we ditch those and stick to homemade and traditional. They're teen/preteen now and still love seeing which picture is behind the door every morning and what treat I've planned for the day Grin

Beakerandbungle · 26/09/2021 06:44

My mum has always bought my two a traditional advent - they are just as materialistic as any other child and love presents! - but weirdly their favourite advent is the picture one from my mum. It doesn’t even have chocolate. My DS also started us on a song advent where they each pick 12 songs, we write them down and then I distribute them. We play whatever song is in the drawer that day ( used to be pulling out of a bag!).

This year they have said they just want the picture calendar and to do the song one - so I’ve bought a resuable calendar and will probably stick a sweet in with the song. I think it’s partly because they’ve been learning about the environment at school but I’m quite happy by this turn of events Grin

Rhubarbsoup · 26/09/2021 07:00

How old are they?

There will be plenty of chocolate ones in supermarkets soon, I've found charity shops often sell (new) just picture advent calendars as well.

Could you do a reverse advent if you think they're spoilt and have a lot of stuff? Get a box and everyday they put something in/buy something to donate to a local charity?

Haudyourwheesht · 26/09/2021 07:51

We've got this one. Melissa & Doug Countdown to Christmas Wooden Advent Calendar https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GJWTI0G/ref=cmswwrcppapiglttfabcY7ZGKPSWY1JJ2BF86VBX??encoding=UTF8&psc=1

The kids love the tradition of seeing it coming out every year. I just can't bear the thought of 24 bits of plastic tat coming out daily in preparation for the present fest on the 25th.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 26/09/2021 08:01

I buy myself a beautiful paper one, usually a Richard Selmer one, because the pictures behind the doors are transparent, and appear lit if you display it in front of a window.

For DS(6) I just let him choose a character one from the Pound shop or Tesco. He's only really interested in the chocolate, and he doesn't much care if it's good chocolate either.

MaggieFS · 26/09/2021 08:05

I went through this last year. The price of the non chocolate ones is ridiculous!

Ended up with one from WHS for about £7 but we got DS to open the doors very carefully and we'll use it again this year.

cliffdiver · 26/09/2021 08:08

M&S do a nativity chocolate calendar with the story of Christmas behind each door.