Who else buys themselves a traditional Advent Calendar?

A friend sends me the Jacquie Lawson one each year and I love them.

I buy the grandchildren a charity Advent of Change calendar - one DIL told me how much she and the children enjoyed it. Every window the child opens tells them that something has been given to someone in need - maybe a hot drink to a child refugee. The children liked it and the mother liked them being reminded and connected with supporting other people in the world.
adventofchange.com/

I used to love my sparkly advent calendar as a little girl?. When my daughters were growing up chocolate ones were the most popular. When finished with I saved the plastic part to make my own chocolate decorations with.
I wanted to buy my grandsons something more traditional and a few years ago it was quite a search! Over the past year or so there seems to have been a return to the more traditional or even re usuable home made ones.
I have a reusable one which my daughter fills with a little surprise.
Last year W.H Smith's had a lovely selection of traditional ones. This year I had to resort to Amazon as delivered directly to grandsons.
There are some very indulgent adult ones with everything from gin to jewellery, cost a fortune though!

I always buy myself and my DD one, love the traditional religious scenes. Can’t be doing with Father Christmas and his little helpers etc!

I went to the Munich Xmas markets years ago and the calendars they had were absolutely beautiful.

I always buy a ‘real’ Advent calendar for my grandson - they’re quite difficult to get, and he leaves it at my house to open the windows - but where are the chocolates Nanny? So I get the pleasure of hunting for a calendar then seeing him opening it.

I get one free with the postcode lottery. Behind each door is the charity they have helped, how much and what it has gone towards.

My daughter buys me one every year and I used to still buy them one, as adults, until they had boyfriends to take over the task.

Not for me but for my DGD’s which is always a Hotel Chocolat one! Perhaps I should get one for myself and DH after reading this ?

I dont buy one but I do use a very old religious one I've had since I was a child. It's an important part of the Christmas lead up and will be even more so this year. I'm not a fan of the current trend for having anything from skin products to jewelry to chocolates in an Advent calendar- to me, that's not what it's about at all.

I haven't bought a traditional one for ages, but just might this year! I used to love them as a child. They were a special part of our Christmas in the early 1950's. I remember my mother showing me how to hold them up to the light so that the Christmassy picture we had found by opening the window glowed. Magic! I wonder if you can do that still, or if the backing paper is too thick to let the light through.

Thank you for the link, I've seen one I love and will buy for myself.

As children my sister and I would love to open the windows and see what little picture would be behind. And yes, I figured I was too old for these but I feel the need for a little magic this year. The one I like on the link has a bible reference behind each window, which I think I will enjoy.

I`ve just made one for my grandchildren!
I used left over bits of material and felt and filled the pockets with gold chocolate coins, candy sticks and seasonal lollipops.

I`m chuffed with it.

Having bought countless advent calendars for children and grandchildren over the years, but never bought myself one.
What a brilliant idea! It's never too late....

I like the old fashioned ones with a Christmas scene and little pictures inside!

I always have one and get a nativity scene. Normally l would have music pupils coming in the house and would let them open the doors. As l am teaching online l shall be able to open all the little doors myself. We always had one when l was growing up and we took turns to open the doors. As there were three of us the maths was easy. I always opened the 3, 6, 9, 12 etc as my birthday is on the 6th.

Hahaha that’s so cute so don’t give up your advent calendar.
Doggies, yep my choice, makes you smile.

Still buying the chocolate ones for 2 youngest of my 'kids' still at home!- they're 17& 22 now and ive tried in last couple of years to not bother, i said weren't they both too old now? But they insisted they want one! I think its become a little family tradition now, as they still insist on a selection box too along with my GC! ? So ive been treating myself to a beauty or toiletries one etc also! ?

When i was at school they showed us how to make our own picture one but they dont seem to do anything like that that with the kids anymore?

A few years ago I made advent calendars for the three grown up children, Material with pockets you could fit sweets and chocolates in. The kids loved them and they get hung up every year, I just have to remember to send the sweeties. It was a labour of love that was a pleasure to make.

@Callistemon and @Hetty38, when it comes to Christmas, some of us are still 6 year olds at heart!

Father Christmas still comes to me, and funnily enough he still comes to dh, too.

I confess to buying the M&S Advent calendar one year but gave quite a lot of the products away and most of the rest are still languishing in the bathroom cabinet.

Now, if I was given a good chocolate one that might be different but I'd probably give it to the DGC anyway.

Me! I do. When the children were at home I always insisted on getting a religious, nativity themed, one. My theory was that at least once a day , when opening the little door, they would think about the real meaning of Christmas. As soon as they left home they bought themselves ones with chocolates!

'In my day' (!) I'm sure Advent calendars were always traditional and religious, no chocolate or beauty ones. I used to love getting nearer to Christmas Day. I treat Advent as like Lent - I give up wine, cake, pudding and biscuits - and lose a few pounds in weight. Then when everyone else is having a dry January I'm back on the wine

I have just bought three copies of the new Jacquie Lawson Advent Calendar, one for me and one each for the two sets of grandchildren, one in New York and two in Copenhagen. Beware! In previous years, once you had bought the Advent Calendar you could view it on any of your gadgets, lap-top, I-pad, mobile, anything, but this year, you can only view it on the gadget you download it on, so if you downloaded it on eg your mobile, you can only watch it on that. If you want to watch it on a different gadget, you have to pay for it again and download it again. I didn't realise that things had changed, so I downloaded it on the laptop, when, if I had had the choice, I would much rather have had it on the I-pad. I am also concerned that my daughter and step-daughter won’t realise this and will also download it on the wrong gadget to show the children, such as their mobile, (too small for the children to watch) or their work computer. I don’t know why they have changed this and they should warn you beforehand to make sure you download it on the gadget you want to watch it on.