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Christmas

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Original poster

Advent calender ideas please?

19 replies

ChickandDuck · 16/11/2009 14:09

Anyone getting advent calenders that don't have chocolate in them? Have just got the lego advent calender for DS1 (3yo) and have a 'family' advent calender from my mum which is a 'pop - up' nativity scene. Wondered if there was any alternative calenders for babies? DS2 is 9mo. Not keen on the idea of either of them having chocolate everyday for a month, anyone got any ideas?

OP posts:
theITgirl · 16/11/2009 14:22

DS gets & wants a lego advent calendar. However DD not that into it. So we have an Advent Garland (24 little stockings) and gets a tiny present for each day. At that age it was a couple of sticklebricks each day.
Since then we have tried a playmobil advent calendar, except this now comes out every year, or I have managed to get a load of small toys from tickseed.co.uk and that works out about the same as the Lego advent calendar.
Actually we have a lot to do each morning in December.
DS - lego advent calendar
DD - small toy in the day's stocking.
Alternate - Playmobil advent calendar
Alternate - Noah's Ark (an animal for each day), this was a present.
DS - Chocolate advent calendar from Granny
DD - Chocolate advent calendar from Granny
Alternate or both - lovely traditional one with Nativity scene & pictures from Step Granny
My parents don't bother for obvious reasons.

Original poster
ChickandDuck · 16/11/2009 14:37

Where did you get the garland from? Seen a lovely one but it's £35 .

OP posts:
Takver · 16/11/2009 14:48

Not relevant for a baby, but I've got an advent calendar for dd which has Christmas themed jokes - question on the door, answer inside. This website has lots of traditional non chocolate calendars.

theITgirl · 16/11/2009 14:53

I think I got the garland in a garden centre (probably the one at Alexandra Palace but that was a few years ago now.

TheChewyToffeeMum · 16/11/2009 15:02

Last year I printed out and coloured in a santa face with a spot for each day - we then stuck on a piece of cotton wool every day until santa had a full bushy white beard.

here

melpomene · 16/11/2009 19:41

I have ordered an 'Olive the Other Reindeer' advent calender from Amazon; can't do link because dcs are behind me, but it looks cute and has good reviews. It has little card pieces which you use to make a scene.

Original poster
ChickandDuck · 16/11/2009 20:36

Really like the stocking garland idea, but can't find a reasonably priced one. Also what little cheap gifts could I put inside for a 9 mo?

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tostaky · 17/11/2009 10:54

ChewyToffee

Great idea! im printing mine. Thanks

watercress · 17/11/2009 11:05

If you don't want to fork out for the stocking advent calendar (written by a tightwad who spotted one for £5 in August and even then wasn't sure about spending the money), you could always use a clothes line with baby socks pegged onto it. Looks so cute! And you can use socks that your DC is yet to grow into, or has already grown out of.

Good things to put in the pockets are finger puppets (Ikea does nice ones), the odd chocolate, little play figures, hairslides, stickers, chalks etc. Think all those would be OK for a 9 month old.

PiggyPenguin · 17/11/2009 12:41

If you don't mind the initial outlay, this type of thing is a good idea. I bought one when ds was 2 (6 years ago) and it comes out every year as the start of the christmas season. The dc have already started talking about when we are going to get it out of the loft and which character they are going to get to put on the scene this year.

It is expensive, but it is a one-time outlay and very nice advent calender

Original poster
ChickandDuck · 17/11/2009 15:35

Looked at that one sybilvimes! But I bought the £35 sock garland today though

Tis gooorgeous though

Thank you for the 'filling' ideas watercress. Will defo be getting some finger puppets as due an IKEA visit very soon!

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catseye123 · 17/11/2009 20:51

I bought one of these and my two are so excited as they helped stick the numbers onto the stockings. Good quality and loads of fun to make. "this one"

Original poster
ChickandDuck · 17/11/2009 21:31

that one is lovely catseye

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VerityBrulee · 17/11/2009 21:48

We have This set of stockings, very cute

Original poster
ChickandDuck · 17/11/2009 21:57

arrghhh Verity, where were you last night?! They are adorable! What do you put in them? Am going with finger puppets to fill some, but not sure about other? Dont really want to do choc.

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VerityBrulee · 17/11/2009 22:09

There's the problem - what to put in them!

DC are 11, 9 and 5, and the 5 yo won't eat sweets or chocolate of any kind

I'm stuck! Perhaps a star or snowflake shaped biscuit? A tiny toy would be great, but finding enough of them is the problem!

MrsMalcolmTucker · 17/11/2009 22:18

We have the same one as sibilvimes - had it for a couple of years now and dd loves it.

Original poster
ChickandDuck · 17/11/2009 22:23

I've sorted it...two sets of finger puppets from IKEA (1 set people 1 set animals) which will fill 20 of them... then the ELC Christmas Happyland set to fill the final 4.

Thanks for all your suggestions

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hollyhobbie · 17/11/2009 22:29

DH sewed some pockets onto a piece of fabric and before the DCs we filled it with chocolate!

We still use the calendar every year but now it's filled with the Playmobil nativity scene and I divide it into 24 portions and wrap them up, so that the scene is built over the 24 days. Every 6 days or so there's a small piece of chocolate too.

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