Well, it’s nearly the end of November and the daily blogging challenge, so it’s nearly December and of course I still buy my children Advent Calendars.
The chocolate thing is very new to me. I grew up in the 1960s and I was grateful just to open a window and see a donkey or a shepherd or a star in the distance. I didn’t even get to open a window every day because I shared my Advent Calendar with two of my brothers, so it was every third day. When I woke up in the morning it was the first thing on my mind, I was that excited.
When I had my own children, I steered away from chocolate calendars for as long as I could and instead gave them religious Advent Calendars so that they would learn the Christmas story. But their friends were given chocolate calendars, and Father Christmas was everywhere. It was all so confusing. In the end, I gave them each a traditional calendar but also hung up a fabric Father Christmas with 24 pockets – and in each pocket I stuffed some chocolates. That way, I hoped, they thought about the Christmas story and also had their chocolate. Win, win.
Oxfam shops sell Divine Fairtrade Chocolate Calendars which also depict a Nativity scene so for the last few years I’ve been buying those. I can’t imagine I’ll ever want to stop doing this, whatever age my children are.
For more traditions, head over to It’s Not This Time of Year Without…
Josephine Corcoran 
Er…I’d take them off the radiator! (ha, ha). My kids are in their 20’s now and two years ago I forgot to buy Advent Calendars and my youngest asked me where his was! He ended up with something not that great because everywhere had sold out. My eldest (now 27) saves all his ‘windows’ and eats all the chocolate at Christmas! Love your choice of Advent Calendars – I’m very into Fairtrade and I used to volunteer at my local Oxfam shop, so sold them too!
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I know it’s a terrible photo done in a rush! Oxfam is probably my favourite shop of all time! 👍
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Ha! I was going to mention taking them off the radiator as well, even though I know it was just for the shot. Advent calendars are so much fun, whether they have chocolate in them or you just open the little door each day.
janet
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Our two ‘boys’ of 21 & 27 live away now so we don’t do Advent calendars – but I do give them a Christmas stocking with a variety of useful small items like moisturiser for men (called manly things like Bulldog) and fake moustaches (you never know when you’ll need one) and for 20+ years I have added a packet of Percy Pigs from M&S (you can even get them made the veggie way). Well last year I accidentally forgot to buy the Percy Pigs and bizarrely I was really touched by their outrage!
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How lovely! 👍
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On the rad? What next?
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It wasn’t on!!
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Stay warm
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So good to know about the Fair Trade option! Will make a note for next year — chocolate advent calendars I have decided are my sons’ St. Nick’s Day gifts while at college 🙂
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