M & S Beauty Advent Calendar

Not for me unless its chocolate.

I shall be looking at the website to see what I need.
I bought a padded jacket last week, if I had known I would have waited a week.
Last year my GD and I shared the the M&S and Boots but Boots have changed the format this year and it is not to my liking.
We may just have a luxury choc one instead.

I don’t have an Advent Calendar and I think they’ve got totally out of hand. The prices of some of them are completely ridiculous and completely miss the point of it being a countdown to the celebration of Christmas Day.

The minute I saw it had a few L'Occitane I nearly succumbed, but I have already got theirs, and a Cath Kidston one to share with DGD. Personally, the kid in me prefers the beauty ones with little doors to poke out, not in a toiletries bag.

Bonne mamman has one with and additional 3 full size jars that I'm considering for £35

Aways done the M&S advent calendar but this year got DH to buy me the John Lewis one..looking forward to opening that. They claim £900 worth of goodies inside.

Wow, at £195 that’s a bit too expensive for me but how lovely for you your DH was willing to shell out for it.
Well done to you.

Wow some of these bigger boxed calendars must weigh a ton!

I’ve just got a £3 card one from the newsagent, I’ll enjoy opening the windows.

I’ll be lighting my Advent Candle each evening.
The expensive ones are rank commercialism and quite distasteful to my mind, since we’re supposed to be thinking of the birth of Christ.
I’m obviously in a minority here though.

Not of any interest to me. The well known brands which cost £1 were good enough in my childrens day.

My daughter always buys me a body shop one. Full of lovely things that last me all year . I’m very grateful

Offers on the Body Shop calendars at the moment -

www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/gifts/beauty-advent-calendars/c/c00259?campaignid=229692395&adgroupid=23092975355&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5beBwomUggMV09btCh3-QAJ0EAAYASABEgJZm_D_BwE

Jaxjacky

I’ve just got a £3 card one from the newsagent, I’ll enjoy opening the windows.

I treated myself to this one today - found it in the charity Christmas card shop in the town centre church.

I like that Witzend 👍

Me too Jax !

M&S who claim no animal testing have items from l'Occataine in their advent calendar. Also M&S claim The Deep Sleep Cocoon is £25 but it's available elsewhere for £18. It seems underhand.

#L’Occitane apologies

Visgir1

Aways done the M&S advent calendar but this year got DH to buy me the John Lewis one..looking forward to opening that. They claim £900 worth of goodies inside.

The John Lewis calendar is lovely. I will use everything in it. I’m sure you’ll be pleased with it.

maddyone

I’ll be lighting my Advent Candle each evening.
The expensive ones are rank commercialism and quite distasteful to my mind, since we’re supposed to be thinking of the birth of Christ.
I’m obviously in a minority here though.

Surely you can both think of the real meaning of Christmas and enjoy a lovely gift. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. 🎄

maddyone

I’ll be lighting my Advent Candle each evening.
The expensive ones are rank commercialism and quite distasteful to my mind, since we’re supposed to be thinking of the birth of Christ.
I’m obviously in a minority here though.

How I agree! And try finding religious ones…. Only secular ones with chocolate, and increasingly, those with various themes- Lego, beauty, cheese…. And words fail me with those for pets!

I so agree with the posters finding this opulence distasteful unnecessary and completely against the meaning of Christmas
If you’re in a minority I m with you Maddy
I can’t believe that people can imagine spending those sort of prices on frippery while half the world can’t afford to feed itself
I find it really unbelievable

Some traditional ones here -

www.traditionaladventcalendars.co.uk/nativity-religious-advent-calendars.html

I'm a bit of a boffin, sorry, when it comes to the origins of Advent Calendars as we did a short study on them during my German degree. (In Buddenbrooks, the renowned novelist Thomas Mann writes about a homemade tear-off calendar which the nanny makes for the child. That was in 1901 if I remember.)
Anyway, the first advent calendars on paper originated from Germany and had texts, sometimes religious, sometimes not, for every day leading to Christmas. I haven't time at the moment to find the names, I'm on child duty, but there were companies manufactuing them in 1930s when businesses started.
During World War 11 it was verboten to produce calendars with pictures. Instead, the Nazis chillingly produced their own version of an Advent Calendar which consisted of a pamphlet with images with swastikas and tanks being blown up.
I think it was the Americans in the 1950s who took over the idea of Advent Calendars in a big way, introducing chelated and sweets. Then the idea of gifts grew from there.