With less than thirty days to go until Christmas there’s a few presents left to purchase, gifts to be wrapped, cards to be written and come next weekend we will make a start upon decorating the house ready for the festive season.
The kids are super excited about Santa’s annual visit and have asked me endlessly when it is that they get to start ‘counting down to Christmas’ by which they are referring to their Advent Calendars which they desperately race down the stairs each morning for the majority of December to open.
What better way to start the day than by scoffing chocolate? Back in my day there was no such thing as ‘chocolate advent calendars’, well not until I was in my late teens at least. We made do with paper calendars featuring pictures behind a door each day, that was excitement enough but these days Advent Calendars seem to be so much more than that…
I’ve seen no end of Advent Calendars whilst out and about shopping, each year they seem to become more and more extravagant, no longer is the paper nor the chocolate Advent Calendar ‘all that’. These days Advent Calendars are for adults and children alike, they may be filled with sweets, chocolates, figures, toys, Lego, Gin, Wine or whatever takes your fancy and is within your budget.
Sticking To Tradition
Personally I prefer to stick to a more personal and traditional approach when it comes to Christmas, it’s all very well throwing money to the big brands but there’s nothing quite like a ‘home made’ or ‘home filled’ Advent Calendar. I adore wooden/ handcrafted Advent Calendars for the following reasons:
- They can be reused time and time again
- There is far less mess and in the long run waste
- Wooden advent calendars can be handed down over time.
- Wooden advent calendars can be filled with whatever the parent or carer deems suitable for the children’s age range and preferences.
- Unlike most advent calendars available to purchase, wooden advent calendars are actually attractive and can also be used as a Christmas ornament/ decoration.
The Scandi House Advent Calendar
We were very kindly sent the Scandi House Advent Calendar (in red and white) by Sue Ryder to review and to share on this here blog. This beautiful wooden advent calendar features individual decorated wooden drawers that pull out and can be filled with individual gifts or treasures.
Measuring 38 centimetres in height, 24 centimetres in length and 5.5 centimetres in depth this calendar sits perfectly upon our half or windowsill and will add an element of ‘nordic’ decoration to our living room this Christmas.
About Sue Ryder
Sue Ryder is a charity, originally named the Sue Ryder Foundation and more recently Sue Ryder Care. The charity was founded in 1953 when the first nursing home was opened in Suffolk by Sue Ryder. The charity has since expanded and now has numerous care centres within the UK. Sue Ryder supports people with complex needs and life-threatening illnesses both internationally and throughout the UK. Sue Ryder aims to raise approximately £13 million each year to supplement its statutory income in order to continue providing four million hours of care a year, all of which is gathered from fundraising and through Sue Ryder shops, of which there are around 400 in the UK. In November 2013, its shops and online store were said to generate over £36m a year for the charity’s work. This is an amazing figure which will hopefully continue to grow with our the publics support.
The Magic Of The Elves And The Perils Of Pinot Grigio
Each drawer measures 4 centimetres in depth, 3 centimetres in height and 4.5 centimetres in length providing just enough room to fill said drawers with little treasures and treats for your children to enjoy.
Each night Paul and I fill the children’s advent calendars with either chocolate coins, buttons, small figures or treasures for the children to open in the morning. To add to the magic we informed our children that ‘the elves’ visit during the night to fill their advent calendars, this was all very well until one night Mummy and Daddy that’ll be us then had a few too many glasses of Wine and forgot the obvious…
The next morning we were almost rustled but thankfully after sending the children to their rooms to collect their clothing for the day we stuffed a few bits and pieces into their calendar to create the illusion that the elves were running late probably due to bad weather conditions in the North Pole, either that or maybe they too had a few too many to drink the night before!
This year we will be sure to set some sort of alarm so not to forget our ‘elf duties’ either that or come clean and spoil the magic for the kids and where’s the fun in that?! I can’t wait to start filling our advent calendars with gifts and treats for the little ones, watching their little faces as they leg it to the living room just to see if ‘the elves have been’ is priceless.
Purchasing & Pricing Information
Retailing at £14.99 the ‘Scandi House Advent Calendar‘ is available to purchase direct from the Sue Ryder online shop. Along with the Scandi House Advent Calendar, Sue Ryder also sells a number of alternative wooden and fabric advent calendars all of which can be found here.
The Sue Ryder online shop also features numerous products including traditional toys, furniture, soft furnishings, arts & crafts, musical instruments, Christmas apparel, wedding accessories, outdoor products and gardening goods to name a few.
It’s Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Christmas
Despite promising to wait until December before making a start upon the decorations I couldn’t resist from placing this wonderful wooden advent calendar upon the half a little early.
Christmas is well on the way and with December only days away it’s time to consider your count down to the big day and to be sure to have your calendars at the ready. I would most definitely recommend the Sue Ryder Scandi House Wooden Advent Calendar to family and friends as it is a high quality, beautifully decorated, timeless piece which families will forever treasure.
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Product Rating
Disclosure: I was sent the above product for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.