M & S Beauty Advent Calendar

*chocolate not chelated

I don't usually have an Advent calendar but I did buy Molton Brown ones for my sister and friend.

BlueBelle

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

Opulence? Frippery? Distasteful? A bit over the top, surely?

Of course it’s unnecessary, it’s an annual treat for some, but do you feel the same about anyone spending £45 on another pair of shoes they don’t need or a night out?

Why be so judgemental about what other people spend their own money on?

Blimey, I feel absolutely no guilt over the purchase of M & S Beauty Advent Calendars for myself and DD.

As for GC they will have Lego, Football Cards, and or similar, I have got DH the Laithwaites wine one.

None of these treats negate the meaning of Christmas, not all our family are religious, for them it is about the family being together.

Thank you Maggiemaybe. I wasn't going to comment, but ..
My DH is a chorister and sings in cathedrals and concerts during Advent. It is not his real job job, he isn't paid for it. These services generate £1000s for charities around the country. It probably costs him £600 personally in terms of hotels, petrol etc for his efforts. He doesn't receive expenses, I stay home alone, often at weekends.
So is my treat of a £50 or more beauty Advent Calendar distasteful frippery? I leave you to judge.

No Joseann your treat is not a disgraceful frippery.
We all should be able to buy and spend our money on what we want.
Perhaps you aren't the type of family who buy multiple bottles of expensive booze or large cheap chocolates by the kilo box and it should not concern anyone else if you do.
I first got an Advent calendar with something behind the door when DH went away to visit DD in another country in the run-up to Christmas and I could not join him.
I was Facetimed each evening for a catch-up and what I had got that day and what I had cooked for Christmas to put in the freezer.
We are all different and like free speech our actions should be free if they do not impact anyone else we should not be made to feel guilty for our actions.
Enjoy your little daily treat I'll share mine with DD and GD.

Mine was ordered , guilt free, yesterday.

BlueBelle

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

If you find Advent calendars distasteful and unbelievable when they bring a little bit of Christmas Joy to people on their own or a not well-off families who share one and get a treat when they got something they otherwise could not afford. It appears to often be Gran who is buying as a present or to share.
How do you know they do not go to their local soup kitchens or make substantial gifts to charities like the Salvation Army,or Crisis at Christmas? You might just be condemning people who are doing something you are not doing yourself.

I wouldn't feel guilty about buying it, I bought their summer bag on offer some nice stuff in it too.

I understand the feeling of distaste, commercialism conflated with a religious festival, which was important in my Catholic upbringing, but I also think beating oneself up over treats, we all like them and sometimes I think that sounds parsimonious to suggest otherwise. Retail has to capitalise I understand that,but I do hate the way Christmas here has become all about consumerism. Sounds a bit contradictory but sometimes I do long for the rather more low key Christmases of my childhood. Nostalgia possibly !

A bit pious Bluebelle, I am away in a country with alot of poverty, we have decided to give our spending money to people in the service industry who are bussed in from very poor area's and work hard for little pay. I don't want to patronise these lovely people but know they need the money. However I will buy a guilt free Mark's advent calendar and enjoy it.
I help where I can but will refuse to feel guilty or ashamed for having my treat.

I’ve just ordered mine and am more than happy with the purchase. £340 worth of products for £45 is a great deal and the few things I won’t use will be passed on to my DDs and DDIL. I needed new winter boots anyway so feel it would have been daft not to add this to the order.

I always get the JL advent calendar! I love it! The fact that ‘half the world can’t feed itself’ won’t be cured by me not buying an advent calendar! Where would it end? Don’t buy shoes…some people have no
legs? Hope that hair short isn’t too itchy…

Never thought of myself as pious raffia but if you say so .. maybe you ve all got more money but the amounts quoted seem totally out of proportion to the whole concept of these calandars
I don’t find Advent calendars at all distasteful Bella but the thought of spending large sums of money on them I do I think the idea of a advent calendar was all about the opening of the doors leading up to the big day and is exciting for children but it’s now been taken over by expensive sounding daily gifts
But as you ve all pointed out I m judgemental, pious and over the top in my views
It’s all new to me everyone I know has an ordinary Advent calendar mainly for their kids but now I ll go and stand in the corner and as we re still in October I ll forget about it for a while

I have a friend who has just brought a Pandora Advent calendar for £350 which she claims is an absolute bargain because the contents are worth so much more (£550) She has already opened all of the little bags and shown us the contents which if I’m honest didn’t really inspire me but she seems very happy with her purchase.

I remember the excitement of opening our advent calendar as children, it was a card nativity scene, just pictures behind the doors but we enjoyed running down stairs to open them, taking it in turns as we only had one between us.

I still have things from a beauty advent calendar I got two years ago, so I definitely don’t need a new one!

Bought it yesterday

No guilt

I'm with you there Maddyone

I have had a home-made Advent Calendar since I was one year old, my father always made one for us both. Different one every year that was suitable for our ages. Each Day the pretty paper had clues written on it as to what we would find around the house and where. It was absolutely wonderful and one of the things I missed most when I left home at 19 years old. The theme in each parcel we found was the same in each parcel. for. that current year. How hems have struggled with idea, but never appeared to. My father was magic, he used to write speeches and songs for friends, families and few others by request, so always wrote speeches for any celebration we had within the family and used to read them beautifully too. He was a romantic a heart so my mother was a lucky lady too.

I have 2, one for myself and one for DD and GD to share.
Saved buying my items especially until now.

Out of curiosity I looked on ebay and sure enough there were 28 already up for sale.
Looking on sold items one has sold for £90! My local M&S had 900, there's still 570 left. (I like facts and figures)

I had treated myself to M&S one in past but was'nt that impressed-then a couple of years to the expensive Rituals one- but last years i ended up giving most of the contents away- so this year have only got a tea advent calendar at £13 from Boots.And i'm looking forward to trying a different flavoured tea each day.

I hope my eldest DD doesnt get wind of the pandora one- shes a big fan of theirs! 😅

I also have goodies from the last two calendars AmberSpyglass.. I’ve wrapped them up and will have a ‘lucky dip ‘ for the ladies in the family. Will still be happy for DH to buy me another one tho.

I got a lego type one for elder son as he is a collector, other son wanted just a 'normal chocolate one' so i got him cadburys. I also gave choc one to one of GS's and a toys one to a little GD and i might get a dairy free one for other GC.And STILL iv not spent as much as the Ritals one😅

It doesn’t take much to set some people off does it? I find it quite peculiar that such a small pleasure for some ignites a fury in others. How we each spend our money is quite an individual choice. I am widowed and get by on a small pension (not yet old enough for my state pension) with not much to spare for luxuries. Despite this, I donate to three charities each month and don’t feel pious for doing so. I do it because they mean a lot to me and to my late husband.
I would like to say a big thank you to GrannyGravy13 for letting us all know about the M&S Advent Calendar and to say that I will be purchasing it, along with some underwear and a thermal top, later. Last year I treated myself to a Galaxy Advent Calendar and felt quite flat when I opened the door each day. Please don’t judge me.
I would also like to add that, as I do every year, I will be lighting an Advent Candle too.

Don’t leave it too late, Gypsyqueen, as they do sell out. I’ve just ordered another for my DDIL’s birthday - it’s after Christmas, but I think she’ll love it.

I’ve only once had an Advent candle - I nodded off after I’d lit it on the first of December and when I woke up I was halfway through the month.