Have you all got your advent calendars ready?

[Maza]

It's almost time...

Mouse, I'm sure you said you had already bought yours - but can you remember where you have put it?

I've got a feeling I have bought one for DD and if I have then I think I know where I will have out it.

I have actually treated myself to one for the first time ever. I remember reading that lots of you had your own and so I now don't have to feel bad. Also, after previously slating advent calendars with gifts inside them, well, that's exactly what I have bought. In Clintons the other day they had some calendars with little Christmas tea lights in them. They were half price - so only £5. They also had the Yankee Candles calendar for half price - I have wanted that one for a few years now but even at half price I couldn't really justify it.


What are you all getting this year?

[Dragonfly]

No, I don’t do one for myself, childminding children have theirs at their own homes. I do however have a advent candle 😁

[FloraDora]

I still send my grown up lads the Divine advent calendar every year.
I have the Melissa & Doug tree with the numbers on and baubles to cover ready and waiting - even though I have no children. It was a great calendar to have for childminding, the LO’s had the choc ones at home and we did the number count down. Throughout the days they played with it and then at the end of the day we put it back to the correct numbers covered with baubles - it really made them understand that we were counting the days.

My home wouldn’t be the same without it so it is going out.

I’ve seen a lot of 12 days of Christmas to open this year, I really think some companies think this is the 12 days BEFORE Christmas Day rather than the 12 starting on Christmas Day as is the tradition.
Christmas has become a ‘countdown to’ season now, whereas traditionally it was a 12 days OF Christmas starting on Christmas Day and going through to the sixth Jan. Personally, I go for the 12 days during and after, with a holiday family atmosphere and relaxation after when we all enjoy our Christmas gifts and prepare mentally for a new year.
The prep before is like planning and packing for a holiday...the main bit being when I am actually on holiday.

Now it seems that ‘Christmas’ is ‘December’ - the advent calendar encourages this thought. Then trees get taken down on the 27th December. I think I am on my own in my seasonal thoughts.
Soap box over !

[bunyip]

Bunyip's turn on the soapbox now....... :D

If only Christmas was just December. It now seems to start in September.

I've also noticed that fireworks, Halloween and remembrance have also strayed well beyond their original calendar slots (don’t get me started on year-round virtue-signalling through competitive displays of poppy merchandise.) As traditions tend to evolve over time, I predict these will all eventually merge into a single festival, celebrating various forms of bad-taste consumerism, running from September to January, centred on the legend of a pumpkin-headed man in a red suit delivering fireworks to the trenches so they can see in the new year.

I think the solution is to enforce the Twelve Days principal. In short, you can start Christmas any darned time you like, but you have to finish it within 12 days. That would go for shops, individuals, families, high streets, the lot.

[FussyElmo]

Yes 4 have been brought eldest dd has taken hers to uni :laughing:

I dont know i feel there is a distinct lack of christmas cheer in the air at the minute.

I do agree Christmas does start too early but there seems to be a lot of bashing this year. People being berated for everything or im just in a cob.

I find it a strange sensation hate taking the tree down as its so bare but need too as i need the room and to tidy so i tend to leave all the other decorations up.

I dropped my crib last year so im a bit gutted that wont be going up i do need to find another one but hard to find one i love.

But it also means the elf will be making an appearance soon too

[Dragonfly]

After my last thread and feeling bad that I haven’t got an advent calendar this year( and after reading your threads) this is the first year without a calendar and the first year I haven’t brought my adult children a calendar. They are too old lol as I am.

So I will get one just for the childminding children’s benefit, though I’m sure they countdown until Christmas at home also.

The Christmas cheer will come nearer to Christmas I’m sure. I love the run up to Christmas so much so I can’t wait until I put carols on for mindees ( not before the 1 st) and there is a Christmas film channel on 62 though the two times I’ve put it on for me they were American boring films. Need a bit of Dickens.

[bunyip]

The one good thing about Christmas starting earlier is I can start grinching earlier every year. :D

Bu5 am I being hypocritical? We went to see The Nutcracker and the Four Realms last weekend, and I guess that’s really a crimbo film. :o

[Maza]

My turn for the soap box - Christmas Eve Boxes. I absolutely get sweet little cosy family traditions on Christmas Eve, but they are becoming a commercial thing too.

[FloraDora]

Bunyip's turn on the soapbox now....... :D

If only Christmas was just December. It now seems to start in September.

I've also noticed that fireworks, Halloween and remembrance have also strayed well beyond their original calendar slots (don’t get me started on year-round virtue-signalling through competitive displays of poppy merchandise.) As traditions tend to evolve over time, I predict these will all eventually merge into a single festival, celebrating various forms of bad-taste consumerism, running from September to January, centred on the legend of a pumpkin-headed man in a red suit delivering fireworks to the trenches so they can see in the new year.

I think the solution is to enforce the Twelve Days principal. In short, you can start Christmas any darned time you like, but you have to finish it within 12 days. That would go for shops, individuals, families, high streets, the lot.

I am not a big fan of your humbugism generally Bunyip but I do like your suggestion of 12 days, suited to you, idea! I want to draw your mythical person and put it in a time capsule to be looked at in 20 years time....I really think some elements will be true then! I did have a bit of a panic over when I should wear my poppy this year as the bbc seemed to be wearing it much sooner than usual...presumably because it was a special celebration year.
In my lifetime Halloween has just grown and grown....I do hope no more American traditions invade us....I heard this week that a family in the village were celebrating Thanksgiving??? There is a complicated historical explanation!
I am flummoxed this year though as the nearest forestry commission site, where we usually get our tree from, is only selling them from the 1st- 16th December. I put mine up usually on the 22nd ish.....so it looks like we’ll be buying, then storing/ acclimatising this year.

[loocyloo]

My turn for the soap box - Christmas Eve Boxes. I absolutely get sweet little cosy family traditions on Christmas Eve, but they are becoming a commercial thing too.

They really bug me too! And i have to say, that elf annoys me too! I do like the idea of kindness elves though.

I am refusing to do anything Christmas related until December! Or in fact Advent Sunday which is 2nd Dec.

My own children have a chocolate advent calendar and for the minded children i have a nativity picture wall hanging that has a different activity or craft ( or at least different for different days/children! ) to do each day. We have an advent candle for tea time and a Father Christmas that 'magically' is filled with chocolate shapes each day for after tea!

Flora, I love the sound of your tree and baubles.


In previous years we've had DIY calendars/pictures where each day we drew a different character on a big stable scene or stuck stickers on a big paper tree.

The biggest hit though is always my fisher price little people nativity scene that is played with endlessly. Sometimes other little people go to visit ( including Father Christmas and Rudolph ) or Mary and Joseph go to play on the farm!

[FloraDora]

Nativity play scenes have always been a big popular play focus at Christmas, like you say Loocyloo, I think it’s because there are loads of opportunities for extended play.
The most popular book ever, though not my first choice, is this :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0824966805/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They loved the tune and lights and then became absorbed in the story...it was borrowed every weekend.
Strange things sometimes that children choose.

[Maza]

Digressing slightly, but DH picked up two Christmas tea towels (well, snowmen design) in Lidl today for £1.50. Super quality - much better than my £ shop ones. We actually bought them for DD to use in her sewing projects - perfect size for turning into a Christmas apron, drawstring bag, cushion cover etc.

I love Lidl.

(He actually bought me my very first Christmas jumper from there today too - we have charity Christmas jumper day at school, so I couldn't put it off any longer!)

[FussyElmo]

The one good thing about Christmas starting earlier is I can start grinching earlier every year. :D

Bu5 am I being hypocritical? We went to see The Nutcracker and the Four Realms last weekend, and I guess that’s really a crimbo film. :o

You pretend grinch :laughing: fancy seeinga christmas movie in november :D

My children find a pair of pyjamas on their beds every christmas eve so for 19 years.

As for the elf i must be too lazy as it seems like hard work.

I keep wanting to start the christmas crafts as i have lots of part time/ad hoc children but just cant bring myself to do so.

[bunyip]

I am not a big fan of your humbugism generally Bunyip but I do like your suggestion of 12 days, suited to you, idea! I want to draw your mythical person and put it in a time capsule to be looked at in 20 years time....I really think some elements will be true then! I did have a bit of a panic over when I should wear my poppy this year as the bbc seemed to be wearing it much sooner than usual...presumably because it was a special celebration year.
In my lifetime Halloween has just grown and grown....I do hope no more American traditions invade us....I heard this week that a family in the village were celebrating Thanksgiving??? There is a complicated historical explanation!
I am flummoxed this year though as the nearest forestry commission site, where we usually get our tree from, is only selling them from the 1st- 16th December. I put mine up usually on the 22nd ish.....so it looks like we’ll be buying, then storing/ acclimatising this year.

I could almost go with the idea of phasing out Christmas altogether and replacing it with Thanksgiving.

Now before anyone cries out "but I hate all this American stuff" I implore you to ask yourself just how British Christmas is. Most of the original British traditions have been dropped, and replaced with Prussian/German and American ones (do you know why Santa wears a big red suit?)

Historically, Thanksgiving is a British festival, established by colonists who self-identified as British, over 150 years before it was even possible to conceive of being American. The festival is rooted in English Protestantism, not dissimilar from harvest festivals.

I like the way it seems to be about food and family, rather than tat and credit card debt, but I suppose that would all change once the shops and advertisers good their filthy snouts in the trough.

[Mouse]

Choosing my advent calendar every year is serious business in this house! My (grown up) children start sending me links to advent calendars as soon at they appear online (usually from the beginning of September) and I then spend a daft amount of time deciding which one to get! This year though I decided I was going to wait until the very end of November and take my chances on what was left. Predictably I caved at the beginning of October and my M&S beauty advent calendar has been waiting on the top of the wardrobe since then!

As well as my main advent calendar I always have a traditional one - not a religious one, but one that is just doors and pictures. It has to be a nice festive scene and be covered in glitter!

[Mouse]

After my last thread and feeling bad that I haven’t got an advent calendar this year( and after reading your threads) this is the first year without a calendar and the first year I haven’t brought my adult children a calendar. They are too old lol as I am.



:eek::eek: You're never too old for an advent calendar!!

My children are between 17 and 27 and they all still have one, as well as a Christmas stocking on Christmas day!

[Mouse]

Elf on a Shelf - I love seeing the pictures on FB, but really couldn't be bothered with it myself and I'm very glad it wasn't around when my children were little.

Christmas Eve box - I think family traditions, like a new pair of PJs on Christmas Eve, are lovely, but each year these boxes seem to be getting more and more elaborate and expensive. I have enough trouble getting organised with presents for Christmas Day, so I take my hat off to anyone who manages to prepare Christmas Eve boxes as well!

Christmas songs playing in shops in November - I know a lot of people complain it's too early, but I actually love it!

Father Christmas - where has he gone? He seems to have morphed onto 'Santa' and no one calls him Father Christmas anymore. I can cope with the commercialism, the extended festive period (anytime from September onward) and the cheesy TV adverts, but I do mourn the loss of Father Christmas :crying:

[loocyloo]

I refuse to call Father Christmas 'Santa'!!!

I was out with the children earlier, and the coffee shop we stopped at for a quick cup of tea was delightfully silent, with just the sound of people talking. No Christmas music 😃!!! I don't mind some, but only as background music, not at conversation stopping volume!

[mama2three]

Completely agree mouse , I’m forever correcting the mindees ....it’s always Father Christmas here too!!

[FloraDora]

Father Christmas here too and definitely no ‘xmas’....I like the full, many lettered Christmas word.

New PJ’s came about in our family when one year all the early Christmas morning photos showed my lads in slightly too short, faded pj’s, that had seen better days but were go to comforts . I vowed then that I would make sure next year that they had decent pj’s on! Never wrapped, just left on beds on Christmas Eve, I still do this and when I prepare the beds for their Christmas visit I put new pj’s on the pillow.
Last year DH left some super comfy ones for me on my bed, they had discussed that I always do this, but not for myself.

Not a big fan of Christmas Eve gifts, you have to wait in this house for the day.
I quite like the fun of the Elf getting up to antics, bringing laughter to a home when it can often be fraught in the run up to Christmas.... but a lot of Elves I know are used for ‘ he’s watching you’ threat and just sit on a shelf with no play opportunities, very sad for the Elf.

I love Christmas music, I am always sad when the cd’s get packed away. Though this year we have listened to a lot of first lines of Christmas themed music throughout the year. Our new music set up in this house involves all our music on Apple being on a playlist that we play through the tv and living room sound system....DH has not yet categorised them all so the odd children’s song or Christmas carol slips in when we put it on shuffle....then there is all action to find the control and skip it.
We have Alexa in our kitchen and I love that I can talk to her and instruct her to skip a track, or change radio station when my hands are floury or I’m washing up....I really want every electrical item to work and be controlled by voice in my house, it’s my favourite modern technology.

[bunyip]

Digressing slightly, but DH picked up two Christmas tea towels (well, snowmen design) in Lidl today for £1.50. Super quality - much better than my £ shop ones. We actually bought them for DD to use in her sewing projects - perfect size for turning into a Christmas apron, drawstring bag, cushion cover etc.

I love Lidl.

(He actually bought me my very first Christmas jumper from there today too - we have charity Christmas jumper day at school, so I couldn't put it off any longer!)

Thanks for the Lidl tip. I picked up some packs of the tea towels yesterday to make gift stockings. :thumbsup:

[Maza]

That's exactly how the pj tradition started in our house too - with the photographs revealing too short, tatty pyjamas! My sister started it for the same reason with her kids too. There is something lovely about getting into brand new pjs on Christmas eve. I traditionally get new pyjamas for Christmas (day, not eve) from DH and I love putting them on on Christmas day night. This year I won't be getting any though because of our new obsession with Lidl. Their weekly special about three weeks ago was ladies pyjamas. DH bought me three pairs - so cheap. I had to try them on because the sizes are not always consistent and so he couldn't put them away for Christmas.


This morning I caught myself saying 'Santa'! I had never been aware of it before. I don't mind the word but I don't want it to replace FC! I also really, really hate the word 'xmas'.

Another tradition that most of us on here do is Christmas books with the children. Now that DD is almost 10 and I don't have any little ones around we do Christmas chapter books throughout December. This year we have got 'Mistletoe and Murder' ready and waiting. Gone are the days when our Christmas stories were about cute little animals and Father Christmas! (It is an age appropriate murder book - if there is such a thing!! Part of a series which is very popular at the moment - Agatha Christie for kids.)

Bunyip - fantastic idea about stockings from the tea towels! I hadn't thought of that.

[Maza]

Just got back from Asda and all I could hear was 'Santa this, Santa that'! Made me think of this thread. What an observation Mouse! We have to keep Father Christmas alive!

[mama2three]

My two littlest mindees have been saying ‘tanta , tanta’ all day after a visit to the garden centre this morning....I guess my attempt at repeating back ‘ Father Christmas ‘ isn’t working ...plus I guess it’s harder to say!

[FussyElmo]

Maza - i have just ordered that book as a treat for dd. How could i not when its described as a cross between nancy drew and the chalet school. I loved both of those set of books- no doubt dd will hate it :laughing:

Well ladies and gentlemen last night we put micheal buble christmas songs on and made christmas stars. I have to admit it was a really chilled out afterschool session.

[loocyloo]

I am making a christmas advent tea light/ jam jar 'thing' with a mindee after school in Thursday. I have jam jar, battery tea light and assortment of tissue paper/christmas stickers and stars. ... it was her request so i hope she knows what she wants to do! I pick her up late from a club and drop remaining mindees home on the way, so it's just us and we like to craft!

I'm liking the idea and might make something similar for us.

But no more Christmas craft until next week!

[Maza]

Fussy, Mistletoe and Murder is part of a series - the murder most unladylike series. You don't have to have read the ones before that book but it does help. That series has really taken off at DD's school. It's a modern murder mystery which is why I think they are doing well. Some of the old fashioned language in the old classics puts some kids off I think. Yesterday we started 'Murder in Midwinter' by Fleur Hitchcock. It's good. I was a bit hesitant about murder mystery books at first, but then I remembered how much kids love the Harry Potter books which are based upon violence and murder when you think about it!

I would be interested in ideas for Christmas crafts for 10 year olds if anyone has anything that they do with their after schoolies...

[FussyElmo]

No problem Maza if by some miracle she enjoys it we can go back and start the series. Hoping it being a christmas book it might pique her interest.

I find the problem with crafts that you tend to have done them before. Have you tried the snowy scene in a jar or i have seen a lovely christmas countdown just not sure if we have enough time to make it.

[loocyloo]

Lol ... that's how i feel about crafts ... i don't think there are any i haven't done!

[bunyip]

Santa?

Xmas?

Surely, that should be "Kris Kringle" and "Crimbo"?

:rolleyes:

[FussyElmo]

Lol ... that's how i feel about crafts ... i don't think there are any i haven't done!

I must admit i enjoyed the 3d snowflakes and christmas stars as i havent done them for about 4 years. It was nice to see my older afterschoolies engage and realise they could actually do them.

[loocyloo]

I must admit i enjoyed the 3d snowflakes and christmas stars as i havent done them for about 4 years. It was nice to see my older afterschoolies engage and realise they could actually do them.

ooo, are they the snowflakes made by folding and cutting paper, and then sticking them together? ( can't get picture to link! ) i used to make those for years with my older mindees! my oldest is about 5 1/2 and i don't think we're ready yet for those!

[FussyElmo]

ooo, are they the snowflakes made by folding and cutting paper, and then sticking them together? ( can't get picture to link! ) i used to make those for years with my older mindees! my oldest is about 5 1/2 and i don't think we're ready yet for those!

Those are the ones my youngest was 5 so it did work well

[Mouse]

My mindees are all 3 and under so our crafts tend to involve me letting them loose with glue and glitter and seeing what we end up with :laughing:

[FloraDora]

My best Christmas theme was around trees- we spent time in early December around the trees- forest school like , surrounding our field and in the nature reserve. The activity the 3 yr olds liked best was finding out which one was the biggest in width...a very long ribbon, a sharpie and 3 hours later all excited about the one that was the thinnest and widest. All the craft was around trees in some way which made thinking easier for me. Decorating the trees in the garden and inside etc...easy to plan, lots of stories and songs to hand about trees, outdoor and indoor.
Problem then was the following year I had the same LO’s so couldn’t repeat, but they observed the trees more that year and the widest one became our friend, with lots of times in the year when we sat under it or hung things from it.

I finally finished all the weather related decorations for the village Christmas tree display with my mother, baby and toddler group this morning. I was a little behind as I had a stinking cold last week and didn’t attend, so planned to do craft the whole session....it turns out that the school had an inset day so lots of older children came and everything was finished in half the time! They even helped me tidy up, I was so happy that , weirdly, the village school chose to have a midweek inset, just on the day I could take advantage of it.

[Maza]

I'm hoping to do these next week. Not strictly Christmasy, I know.

I would love to see a picture of the 3D snowflakes and stars!

8917

[mama2three]

Mine are mainly tinies too , so lots of baking style activities , making slow cooker mincemeat , and transient art for us. Anything that is product led rather than process led has gradually been reduced over the last few years to help parents manage their expectations! I hate seeing other minders guiding little hands to get the ‘bits’ in the right place. What’s the point? There’s no creativity or learning going on. They tell me it’s because mums love them and keep them forever , yes but I’m sure they’d love them less if they knew that they were 90% the childminders work rather than their little ones! I see so many wonderful Pinterest worthy crafts which I’d love to do but they are beyond the abilities of my lot!

[FussyElmo]

Maza for some reason fat fingers i think. I have attached the photo of the stars to your post.

Thank you me and dd have started mistletoe and murder tonight and dd has really enjoyed the first few chapters.

[Maza]

Maza for some reason fat fingers i think. I have attached the photo of the stars to your post.

Thank you me and dd have started mistletoe and murder tonight and dd has really enjoyed the first few chapters.

Oh I'm glad you are enjoying it!

That snowflake looks fab! Do you know where I could find instructions on how to make it?

[loocyloo]

Mine are mainly tinies too , so lots of baking style activities , making slow cooker mincemeat , and transient art for us. Anything that is product led rather than process led has gradually been reduced over the last few years to help parents manage their expectations! I hate seeing other minders guiding little hands to get the ‘bits’ in the right place. What’s the point? There’s no creativity or learning going on. They tell me it’s because mums love them and keep them forever , yes but I’m sure they’d love them less if they knew that they were 90% the childminders work rather than their little ones! I see so many wonderful Pinterest worthy crafts which I’d love to do but they are beyond the abilities of my lot!

Same here ...

My most 'processed' activities are where i give them a wooden shape to decorate to go on the tree or i have some angel cut outs that fold round to make angels. I shall not be directing what is coloured or stuck where, but there will be a finished article at the end! I will add the childs photo to something as well, but that will be my only contribution.

[FussyElmo]

Oh I'm glad you are enjoying it!

That snowflake looks fab! Do you know where I could find instructions on how to make it?


3D Paper Snowflake Tutorial - YouTube (https://youtu.be/5tmhFQpruyE)

Its so easy once you do your first part you will becomea snowflake making machine