Advent calendar dilemma for teenagers!

[KHMP1971]

Hey everyone, would really appreciate some ideas thankyou!

I've got 2 DC. My DD has just turned 15 (in September) and DS I'd 18 (will be 19 on 30 November) and went away to Uni in September.

I always buy advent calendars although I've been told by some that they are now "too old" for them. Last year I bought DD the Schleich Horse Club calendar. I appreciate at 14 she might have been a bit too old but she's horse crazy, takes riding lessons on. Saturday and helps at the riding school, passed her BHS Stage 1 this year, and has a part loan horse for two days per week (oh the joys of winter mucking out!! Guess who has to help?!). I'd always eyed it wistfully in the past but it was out of my.budget as a single mum. However thanks to having a much better job since last year I can now afford to do things like this for her! She loved the calendar although admittedly he little figures were more collectible than play figures for her.

On impulse I bought the 2025 one after seeing it in Pony Mag and falling in love with the cute foals. However a friend of mine pointed out that at 15 she's "much too old" and I should have bought her something more like the Body Shop Calendar which she's bought for her DD. That's lovely but tbh a bit out of my price range. There's also a guitar picks calendar which I saw which she might have liked as she plays guitar and violin (has just started doing GCSE music in school). So my dilemma is should I send the Shleich one back and get her a guitar picks one, or should I let her enjoy her last years of "childhood" and cute advent calendars?

Also what about DS? He's coming home for thr weekend for his birthday (his uni is 200 miles away but obviously wants to spend hai birthday at home snd more importantly open the PS5 he's asked for!) I was going to get him a calendar but ... do uni students have advent calendars? He likes formula one and video games although when I asked him what type he said "just chocolate is fine thanks mum". But then I feel bad to spend more on DD's calendar and just £5 on a chocolate one for him. Are there are good calendars around his interests? He also likes experimenting with makeup (he does it better than me!) so wondered if that would be am option - a makeup calendar?

Would love some ideas on what you're buying for your teens?!

I'm so sorry for your loss @KHMP1971

I would have loved to have been thought of in that way as a 15 year old, and for some elements of my childhood to have remained protected. You sound like a lovely, lovely Mum, they are lucky to have you.

The Charlotte Tillbury one is amazing but insanely expensive (would be for me anyway)!

Thankyou. I dont want her to grow up too fast. Adulthood is long enough. I'd like them to hold onto the carefree-ness of childhood for a bit longer without worrying too much about makeup etc.

She does have £10 pocket money each week on her Go Henry card (extra £1 when she does her music practice!) and she does sometimes save up for makeup. She's also just bought a lovely 1950s style dress from Dolly and Dotty after four weeks of saving! But she just as often buys books, guitar picks or horse related bits and bobs (wants to get her loan horse a Likit).

DS is living off a student loan so I want to get him something nice and a bit special.

Red Bull & McClaren do one but they are very expensive.

My (21 year old uni son) prefers sweets/chocolate/crisps advent calendars. Dd prefers to avoid sweets and chocolate.

Do you find there’s quite a bit of drama generally in your life OP?

I’ve bought DH & DC one each. DC late 20s.

I got these last year https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tonys-Chocolonely-Advent-Calender-Chocolate/dp/B09BNFSYFZ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=10GEWWGW3UDR7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SFBsJSQmNCNXs1XN718hjFsB4JhyQ91dKaRaSNOU6ZuICGzIf9P0XTadf5BAI_gEpmhIZoTAiMxdrVYsijnTOlq1z6JE5HiHBxzFBHd9vm8DSQzlQsSVjBRjxt_u9_yT_5YCVWuodAe3UAO62uKx8J2NR97Mn7Jdgm7H-51iZEpFTrmKnFzFp_ZmVBOd7NW_PuwwgAFJ_AGTsFeMQsPGBf_guTTL0lqGf0q4XSCL5-wFxC_HmQC3fs7TSMPznMNOiAg3EYLMFXDK5-4ciDEap7SOq-jrDiJVNG4KAsdf7i0.RHcO1k5kN9sJgS-hFMEwS8DroKlRjUp7QtZq1YaGkVg&dib_tag=se&keywords=toys%2Bchocolonely%2Badvent%2Bcalendar&qid=1762528727&sprefix=toys%2Bchocolonely%2B%2Caps%2C289&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

We just do the picture ones here. I have a 17 and 16 yo and they wouldn't be fussed about a makeup one, they are finally getting nostalgic and appreciative of the picture ones they get so that isn't going to stop any time soon.

I got my 17DD a Revolution make-up one last year that wasn’t too expensive. But she says this is on a par with the crisp advent calendar I made both mine one year and has requested it again this year so she can get gifted more money as she’s saving. I just got a load of different crisps and put one each day in a Xmas themed paper bag and pegged it to a bit of string and hung it round the room. Did it while they were at school and they both loved it. I’m not sure how I can manage this do DS is at Uni but might just post a choc one like last year. I think there might be tears if I didn’t send anything.

My 20 and 30 odd year olds are getting Lego, Pokemon and Pops calendars, I don’t think there’s any age limit to things you like.

I’m getting this for my 21 year old!

My teen is getting a galaxy one. Tbh if she didn’t have a 4yo sister who is the right age for one I probably wouldn’t have got her one

Ask DD what she would like. It might well be that she liked the Scheich one but doesn’t necessarily want a repeat. What about a picture one? My DD is 13 but has already started saying that she just wants a nostalgic picture advent calendar rather than anything with “things” in.

Does your son like puzzles the escape rooms advent calendar is really fun? We did it last year and my son loved it. They are about £25 on Amazon.

Mine have just had chocolate advent calendars since they outgrew Lego / Playmobil (although ds19 would probably appreciate a Lego Star Wars one even now!)

Im 42 and every year my husband gets me an advent calendar. Some years he fills one of those re-useable ones with trinkets and things like hot chocolate sachets, this year im getting one with a variety of the ‘skinny’ brand chocolate bars.

Advent calendars aren’t about finding something age appropriate, they’re fun.

Hey everyone

Thanks for all your suggestions! I decided to keep the Schleich Horse Club one for DD (next year I will get her a Guitar picks one). It's super cute and at 15 she still.deserves to enjoy carefree and cute things, I feel. Most of her Christmas Hols will be spent at the stables anyway!

For DS I got the Red Bull Formula One calendar - it was a bit expensive at over £60 but it's going to be a sort of extra birthday present for him tommorrow and he can take it back to Uni with him!

Merry Christmas!