Advent can be something of flash point for families of young to middling children, where traditional calendars complete with glittery nativity scenes and pink-cheeked cherubs are cast aside the moment somebody brings a chocolate version over the threshold.
Add to this the array of wellness, beauty, beer and pet-themed calendars that flood the market at this time of year and it can be hard to row back to the true sense of advent, a period of time underpinned by a spiritual message of anticipation and hope.
Urge your flock back to advent’s more traditional side with a mixture of the home-made and the beautifully designed. Take a look at our lovely fabric advent calendar with 24 pockets to fill with tiny presents. You could fill it with nativity figures and build up a scene as the days go by, or pack it with Christmas decorations and trinkets to beautify the house.
Be warned though: chocolate money, in our humble experience, only leads to fights, and unless you hang it way out of reach, your calendar will be emptied within hours of hanging!
Does anything really beat the thrill of opening the doors of a traditional calendar, one day at a time, holding one’s breath as the inevitable angel/ trumpet/ star comes gently into view. A welcome respite from the frantic Christmas build up, it reminds us that some traditions are worth keeping simple.
