This is the very first time I've ever had my own advent calendar (I don't think they even existed when I was little). The kids get one every year, but I never, until this year. It's actually quite difficult to find interesting ones, especially for adults. I don't want food, or socks, but something fun and different.
This year, my wife and I got each other an advent calendar. Hers was a Body Shop one, whilst mine was a Harry Potter pop figure one. Embarrassingly, neither of these were cheap, so we had high hopes for both. Did they live up to our expectations?
So let's just start with The Body Shop advent calendar. It came in a super cool looking box, and each day, there was a separate little box nested inside the big box. I don't know what we were expecting exactly, but it would be nice to get a combination of creams, lip balms, soaps, etc. And with my Harry Potter one, I was hoping for some unique characters, and not just Harry, Ron & Hermione.
So, how did the calendars work out? Well, both were OK. The major gripe that my wife had with hers was that there was a lot of repetition. Multiple face masks (not the ones you wear out), creams and body washes. They all smelled great, but still nevertheless, were repetitive. There was nothing that stood out. Not even on Christmas Day (mine didn't even come with 25, just 24). I don't get the feeling that she thought it was worth the money.
In terms of the HP advent calendar, I did get the usual 3, and it was also a little repetitive. 2 Hermiones, 2 Harrys, and at one stage, I thought I was going to get every single Weasley kid (luckily, I didn't). There were a few unique ones, but I was strangely hoping for more, like Bellatrix for example. And the shocker- no he whose name cannot be said (ie. Voldemort). I know that the Harry Potter Pop calendar has been out for several years, and I'm not sure what the previous calendars contained, but it just felt a little disappointing. The characters are cool, but I just wanted more (that's the greedy part of me I think).
Anyway, it's another 12 months (well maybe 11) before I have to think about another calendar. It was fun, opening it each day before bed (although we did forget a few times). Maybe I will get another one next Christmas. Maybe another Harry Potter, with Voldemort, Lucius, Sirius Black, and even a Dursley. I doubt it, but one can dream right? (Although Professor Dumbledore did say that it does not do dwell on our dreams and forget to live).
Have a great day,
D