Anyone else over advent calendars?

[Blobbitymacblob]

I’m considering not bothering with advent calendars this year. It was a struggle last year to find something suitable for everyone, and felt like we were just getting them for the sake of it.

Except that it’s been one of the few traditions that the teens have held over from childhood.

If you like shortbread the Walkers shortbread one is good imo.
Individually wrapped mini shortbread.

DS loves the Wera tool advent calendar. He is just starting to collect a good set of tools.

Our two are 25 and 22, we still buy them a chocolate advent calendar, they think it's a lovely if silly tradition. When DS was house sharing at uni, I sent his housemates one too, they all thought it was great.

I’ve got the Liberty beauty calendar on pre-order for my daughter 😂

I just by my 4 in their 20s the same cheap cadbury ones. They love them. They don't have to be expensive

Started getting the picture only ones a few years ago, takes me back to my childhood.

You could get a lovely traditional one with - get this - just pictures behind the windows. My dcs happily open the windows on the same calendar every year as a tradition - and they are very big dcs now!

Cross post, @MissyB1 !

Every year I buy myself as advent calendar. I always get a traditional one, with door that open to lovely pictures. That’s just what I love and I’ll never be over it.
Advent calendars have got a bit out of control these days. People spending £10s/£100s on what is actually just a load of extra presents/pile of cosmetics/other goods.

I’ve found my people @MissyB1 and @MaturingCheeseball 😊

I have a fabric one that I just fill with roses or celebrations chocolates every year.

We've had reusable ones for years now. We buy a multi pack of small chocolate bars, kinder, lindt, lollipops, stickers, whatever we want, it varies. One year we bought a small Lego set and split the pieces over each window. By the end of it my daughter had a little Lego thingy she'd built. Was just something nice to look forward to each morning.

I've also rediscovered the picture ones like from childhood.

Oh yes, @NightPuffins - the cosmetics ones are generally awful. I feel guilty when I’ve received one as a gift the last few years, because I don’t like bath bombs, cherryade lip gloss and pungent body lotion. I hate feeling entitled.

Dh did however really appreciate the sock advent calendar he was given!

Ooh, I've just looked this up as it really appealed to me, but, it's unavailable on Amazon ( "We don't know when or if this product will be back in stock") and out of stock from Selfridges...and is > 17 dollars shipping from US.
Where do you get yours from, as a matter of interest? I'd love this.

We have refillable ones that we use every year. I buy little gifts throughout the year. I do fancy getting a picture one to add to the collection. We also get a cheese one to share.

DS is only 5, but for last couple of years we’ve done book advent with a Christmas picture book for each day wrapped and numbered, so he’d open it before bedtime and that would be his bedtime story. Consequently we have a lot of Christmas books (mostly in the Works 10 for £10). So after Christmas last year I packed all the advent Christmas books away and will rewrap them for this year’s advent with a special new one for Christmas Eve.
He also has a cheap chocolate calendar.
Will stick to these and avoid the expensive ones as much as possible!

I always buy DH a chocolate calendar too, and he doesn’t keep up with opening it. Thanks for the previous post about a shortbread calendar! DH is shortbread obsessed so might have to look for that!

I have a beautiful advent tree (from QVC about 20 years ago)
There's a small tree with tiny hooks and a painted cupboard with 24 "doors" each containing an ornament .
I used to put some chocolate coins in each door , the DC did alternate days hanging the ornaments and shared the chocolates .

They don;t bother with advent calendars now (adults) but I like a Cadbury Chunks one

Me too, they’re so much nicer than the chocolate ones or the billion pound designer ones!

I only had the picture ones as a child, my mum
didn’t think the chocolate ones reflected the true meaning of Christmas. And yet… she used to buy my DC chocolate ones when they were little 🤔

I got mine directly from Walkers , I have just had a look and they are not advertising them yet but hopefully they will get them back in stock in time.
https://www.walkersshortbread.com/

I refuse to buy food advent calendars as I hate ants and pests.

Why would a food advent calander attract ants any more than any other food ? Particularly as if most are like me they are hung on the wall

I find it bizarre how all out people go on them but each to their own. If people enjoy it then why not.

I am not keen on Christmas Eve boxes etc either. I think the big day itself is plenty and it detracts from it.

That said… solstice is more important to me.

Ants can climb walls just like roaches. I live in a tropical climate so having food sources hanging around in advent calendars is a pest magnet.

I only ever buy picture ones, particularly vintage, traditional German ones. I adore them and feel a real frisson of joy when I open it each morning. It's genuinely one of favourite bits of Christmas.