'Traditional' advent calendar with no chocolate?

[frannyf]

Has anybody any idea where I could get an old-fashioned style advent calendar with no chocolates in, just the sort with a little picture behind the door? I don't really let my little one have a lot of sweet things and he would enjoy just opening the door each day (like I used to when I was a girl - none of this chocolate nonsense then, lol!). Do they make such a thing any more, do you know? Thanks in advance for any ideas... (p.s. he is too young for the playmobil toy sort)

woollies have some

They have beautiful ones in my local independent bookshop. Chocolate ones are no good for me. Ds wants them all on day one, and will just whinge otherwise, so I remove the temptation!

Phoenix Trading do a few different designs like this without chocolate.

Thats just reminded me - I got one of those wooden ones with little drawers (last years sale !) - I must remember to get it out of the loft & find things to put in it !

I get them from a local religious bookshop. Feel a bit hypocritical as I never go there otherwsie but they have a really good range and I just hate the idea of the children having chocolate every morning for a month grump that I am. There's a huge range made by Caltime, don't know if that's worth searching on? They do lots of non-religious glittery ones too

John Lewis had some, you could also go for it and get the lego one which looks great.

I got one from Oxfam the other day - £2 I think. Just a big picture of father christmas with the doors cut.

Wow, thanks, I am off to follow some of those leads. Thanks very much to you all and it's good to know I am not the only mean Mama who avoids the chocolate issue.

Oh, I'm glad there's another Mean Mummy out there! I out-and-out refuse to buy a choccie advent calendar. Xmas day is the day for presents not the 1st/2nd/3rd/4th Dec. Mind you, I haven't bought advent calendars of any description yet!!

I'm also very relieved to know that there are other parents as mean as me! I haven't met anyone in real life who doesn't give their children chocolate calendars. I always loved the little pictures for their own sake, and so far my children have been thrilled every year too

if you into the religious advent calanders try the woodmaster(?) range - the same people who do cards - they always have paintings on them (might be a bit 'old' for some children). I, too, have got one with lots of little draws which I, too, need to fill! Thou' ds is only 18 months and at the moment is happy enough just pulling the draws out, so perhaps I can get away with it for another year!

I made one for ds which (even if I say so myself) I think is lovely - it is quilted and has pockets in it, and I've got some little nativity characters to go in the pockets which we then hang on his little christmas tree.

Well we bought felt ones for our girls with little pockets, but what do we fill the pockets with. hhmmm probably sweets!! Kinda defeats the object really

I don't give chocolate calendars either! Last thing they need at breakfast time. And I also don't like secular calendars - some of these "Bratz" and "Action Man" (!!!!) calendars make me cringe... either you celebrate advent as a christian festival leading to the birth of christ or you don't IMO.

There are lots of nice non-choccy ones around, bookshops (small ones but also eg waterstones) and stationery/card shops have them, as do most charity shops, especially ones with a christian bent (like christian aid)

Another mean mummy here. My mum is getting DS (3) a non-choccy one after phoning to check last night - all his cousins are getting choccy ones. What DS doesn't know, he can't miss. I used to love opening the windows on the traditional ones when I was little.

We used a Phoenix trading calendar last year and I'm planning to make one with him this year (haven't started yet, though).

Ds1 only 2 1/2 so hasn't yet realised that other children get chocolate ones. (But he knows he's not allowed chocolates anyway because he's dairy intolerant.)

Was thinking of putting Christmas stickers in our homemade one.

I've got one of the pocket ones from when I was a kid - used it last year & filled it with Christmasey stickers (& chocolates ). Thought of using it again this year, but did want to avoid the chocolates, so I got a couple of picture ones from Oxfam. They look really nice & I think the kids will be as excited with the pictures as they were with the chocolate (I hope!!)

My best mummy-friend has just made her own advent calendar with a craft knife and lots of cardboard... and behind each door she's stuck a picture of a member of the family, or a friend, so that her children can think about them that day! I thought that was SUCH a lovely idea.

Can I just say that advent candles are a lovely way to celebrate Advent too although I realise they are not appropriate for young children. I had on once when I was a teenager and it was lovely to just sit and relax with the candle each day.

I bought a pocket one. Its not so much the chocolate that I'm against (although I'm not over keen) but that I don't like the commercial characters. So our pocket one is a Christmas tree, bought in aid of charity. I am hoping to fill the pockets with stickers, crayons, buttons, bottle lids - all the sorts of things that he just loves (and probably some of the things in the bottom of his toy box that he's forgotten about!)

I've made some for my craft stall with pockets in so that you can put your own gifts in. But my children will have chocolate ones themselves! I think Christmas wouldn't seem the same for them without them.

I like the thought of those old-fashioned ones with the pictures inside. Maybe I'll see about making some of those for next year.

My mum managed to find a holy one with chocs last year - i'm not mad keen on all the cartoon ones either. Im not madly religious its just that an action man choc calender doesn't really say much about xmas does it. Like lonelymum I love lighting candles but I think you can make it appropriate for little ones. We make an advent wreath (going out this sunday to collect nice bits from forest) and in the wreath we put 4 candles. We light one each week of advent and sing a couple of carols before bedtime. My 2 love it and have done since they were babies. Obviously I cant leave the candles alight and I have to put the wreath up out of reach when we aren't doing are candlelit carols but its worth it. Very calming before bedtime.

Thank God not just me then..................My vile SIL could not see what the problem was with a *** football team one. Some people really

they also have some lovely ones in John Lewis