British Expatriate Network

Do you have one? What was today's picture? Did you do them as kids?

I loved our advent calendar as a child. My sister and I took it in turns to open the doors. It was a Father Christmas one with limbs that waggled when you pulled a string. Of course the thrill of the hunt for the right door and guessing the picture wore off after the first few years, but nobody told us that most people had new ones each year. :roll:

When we first moved to America, we couldn't find any advent calendars, so Beest's mum took to bringing chocolate ones for him and the sprogs on her October visits. (She doesn't bring me one because I like the picture ones with the doors scattered all over rather than in a regimented pattern and when I went back that first Christmas, I found a shop selling off a load for 10p each, so I was a happy, well-catered-for camper. I only have one left now though :(). Anyhoo, she didn't come this October, so last night I decided before I knuckled down and made them for the children, I'd try a store or two and started with Walgreens as it was convenient and I had noticed it's selection of goods was a little off the beaten track last time I went in. Lo and behold, choccy calendars for $2. Only two designs available, dodgy Polish chocolate, but it's a start. Victory! America caught up with me while I wasn't looking! (up-to-date crackers will be next on my list, but that a whole other load of rambling)

Today I got a crown.

If you haven't got one but want one, here's a virtual selection for you: (there are also many heavily religious ones, but I took a rain-check on those this year.... :lol:

The marvelous Woodlands Junior School brings us this one about Christmas around the world

North-Pole.co.uk

New York Carver has Medieval Stories and legends

Birmingham Royal Ballet

Enjoy (or not.....) ;)

I love them as well, (also prefer the ones without the choccies) I found a chocolate one in Walmart today which didnt look too special then a friend told me that our local mall has them in the Party Store so I will look this weekend.

I have to smile that you are again showing a link to Woodlands Junior School..... it's in my home town!

For the past couple of years I have not bothered with paper advent calendars, although I have a few stashed away. We have a wall-hanging with numbered pockets - I put candies in the pockets and each day one child eats the candy of the day. A great way of using up any left over Halloween candy actually.

I really ought to get the paper ones going again - I loved all mine as a child - we got new ones every year but we kept them year after year. We were still opening them as teenagers and we had about 17 at one point!

We just started doing one this year. The question we've been debating is whether you uncover No. 1 today, or number 25 because it indicates that there are 25 days till Christmas....? I swear we always did no. 1 on the 1st of December but they seem to do theirs the other way.

#1 of course. Silly people. My Brit Calendar has a HUGE door for 24. So definitely start at 1.

(although it makes sense to count down.......... twisted )

I didn't know what one was until my wife brought some home for the daughters. I got the "You don't know everything, you arrogant fool" look when I remarked on the church coming up with new ideas to brainwash the children.

Well, if I had known you were looking for them too I would have got you to send three through with my book! Hubby was out last night looking everywhere (never occurred to get them for the age of my lot but they all want one roll ) and couldn't get one - some places had just completely sold out sad

So no picture here yet.

I managed to find some in Target.

I like the paper ones too - not chocolate.

And I got a pic today of milk and cookies for Santa grin

Lucy got no chocolate for day 1. Luckily I already checked there is a chocolate for day 2. Her calender cost a buck ninety nine and was made in France apparently.

I found my choccy ones in Christmas Tree Shops! grin

Debs x grin

Of course, what exactly it is I'm counting down to is a bit of a mystery for a confirmed atheist who isn't into the pressies deal... but any excuse to get excited and party works for me! lol

I happened to notice that this year's calendar has the numbers arranged in a sort of circular order and the doors are a bit regimented in places, but the pictures will still be a suprise! Gotta wait 'til sprogs bedtime to find out today's, though. Yes, I need to get out more. P

MIL made ours for Rebecca....... made from material with felt pockets very similar to this one.
http://www.craft-stop.com/images/xmastreecountdown.jpg
The tree is about 30 inches and the numbers are scattered all over the place and the pockets are all different sizes so I go out and buy all kinds of stuff to put in them like choccie money, chapsticks, nail varnish, little toys, make-up, key rings etc.....you get my drift. Each pressie I wrap in tissue paper to thwart peeking and then let har at it :)
I would post a real photo of mine but it seems to have gotten lost....LOL...The pressies for it are laid out on the coffee table at the moment with numbers written on them until I can locate it.

This is the best advent calendar I have ever had......we can choose to put nice choccies in it if we choose too, anything goes.

Before we received this one we used to buy those from world market......not cheap but real chocolate. I think world market sold crackers the past 2 years also......I made mine the last couple of years from a kit I got online....complete with the bang strips.

Mandy

Crackers can be had at Marshall's, TJ Maxx and Homegoods stores.

Excellent! I will check all of those out. The year before last I saw some at Meijers, but at all other times it's Hiller's, a supermarket with strong Jewish and Brit goods sections. ( ??? ) Hiller's crackers are identical to the ones we had when I was a kid -same novelties, same jokes etc, and I strongly suspect they are original stock left over from the 70s. Great for nostalgia, but how many times can you feign interest in the malfunction of the fortune fish and marvel at the magic mathematics cards....? lol

Yep, we got ours at Target, wife was going to send to MIL (whom I hate) but I hid it and brought it out of hiding Wednesday !!