playmobilwww.playmobil.co.ukHello readers and welcome to my monthly article. I hope you all had a good October, I can’t believe it’s November already! With Christmas approaching quickly, I thought I would review something to get us into the Christmas spirit a little – Advent Calendars! I have found an array of calendars to suit everyone and for different budgets. Read on to find out about some of the ones I have discovered this year:
1 – Chococo Advent Selection Box £21.95 from www.chococo.co.uk
This is a luxurious chocolate calendar with a twist. When opened, it looks like a box of chocolates but each chocolate is beautifully labelled with a number on the sleeve so that you can taste one each day. The actual chocolates look stunning with lots of festive detailing on each. Each one is handmade fresh to order and delivered in the last week of November to ensure you enjoy them at their freshest. The flavour lemon zing is the 2016 Silver International Chocolate Awards winner, made with locally produced lemon curd in a fresh Dorset cream and white chocolate ganache. The chocolate flavours also have a festive theme such as gingerbread caramel and mulled wine. They get more and more festive as it gets closer to the 25th! I would say this calendar is perfect for adults.
2 – Playmobil Advent Calendars £19.99 from
www.playmobil.co.uk
These advent calendars are perfect for the little ones if you don’t want them having a lot of chocolate. Playmobil recommend them for children aged 4-10yrs old. Each day reveals a little toy to build which eventually creates a scene using the stand-up background provided. They come in different themes to suit all children, I looked at Christmas on the Farm but the collection also includes Dress Up Party and Secret Pirate’s Treasure Party, plus more. I think these are great calendars for an alternative to chocolate and it is something that children can keep and enjoy far longer than advent.
3 – Divine Chocolate Advent Calendar £4 from Booths, Waitrose, Ocado, Oxfam, Traidcraft and other independent stores.
This is a Fairtrade chocolate calendar which is made with Ghanaian cocoa beans grown by cocoa farmers who co-own the Divine company. The packaging is very colourful and after each day a nativity scene opens up to reveal the traditional Christmas story along with your milk chocolate heart. Also, each day you learn how to say ‘Merry Christmas’ in a different language from around the world! I think this is a great little twist to the normal chocolate calendar – as well as knowing you are benefitting the Fairtrade producers!
4 – Character Themed Chocolate Calendars £1-£2 from many large retailers including Tesco, Aldi, Poundworld and Card Factory
For those who want a simpler advent calendar for their children these are perfect. They come in a wide range of character themes so you can find your child’s favourite such as Teletubbies, Pokemon and much more. Behind each door is a milk chocolate to help your child countdown to Christmas Day. These are a great budget buy!
I hope I have given you some good ideas – happy shopping!