What do you mean the super rich lady that has already said she doesn’t know the cost of things is selling a GROSSLY overpriced advent calendar?!?
My shock is palpable.
$150 for a 12 day advent calendar would be a great gift for someone if there was actually $150+ worth of value inside.
SKIMS would have received a ton of kudos and love if they had priced it at $15.
At $15, getting a bunch of hair clips and a comb and a little mirror and teddy bear keychain would bring a smile to someone’s face. It would have been affordable, so the company would have moved massive volume, which would have cleared out their overstocked warehouse, which is what this advent calendar seems intended to do. And people that love SKIMS would have gotten a little something for their collection, and people that have never bought SKIMS would have been introduced to the brand in a fun way.
It would have been excellent PR.
As it is, this evident cash grab has brought the brand nothing but negativity.
It has highlighted the fact that everything they sell is massively overpriced and likely not worth the value.
And this shows that October through January has become the season of companies scamming their customers.
I love advent calendars. I think everyone has a love for advent calendars. There’s something nice about getting a little something every day leading up to a holiday or an event.
But like with anything, companies ruin everything they touch. They create cute or beautiful packaging that they fill with the garbage they want to get rid of and they expect customers to pay an exorbitant price and smile about it. And it’s been getting worse with every passing year.
I think people should go back to buying affordable advent calendars that give like a piece of chocolate or a little toy every day. And that if people want the joy of giving advent calendars, people should make their own to give as gifts.
Some Ideas for a Homemade Advent Calendar:
a book a day
- coloring books
- stationery items a day (notebook, pen, post-its, etc.)
- an ebook a day (include why you think the book is good/interesting)
- paperbacks or hardbacks
- collection of classic books (Chronicles of Narnia: The Dark is Rising; Jane Austen; Edgar Allen Poe; Frankenstein; Pinocchio; Grimm’s Fairy Tales; Hans Christian Andersen; His Dark Materials; Beatrix Potter; Judy Blum; Goosebumps; JRR Tolkien; Winnie-the-Pooh; Mary Poppins; Anne McCaffrey; LE Modesitt, Jr.; Lois McMaster Bujold; George RR Martin; The Worst Witch; George Orwell)
a craft a day
- acrylic marker pens (day one is the markers, then the following days are things to be used with the markers, like coloring books, paper, blank tee shirts, blank tote bags, clay, etc.)
- clay (a how-to book, air dry clay can harden without an oven, flour and salt clay (it can harden without an oven and if sealed artwork can last a lifetime), modeling clay, Play-Doh (there are sets for adults that make bouquets of “flowers”), a pasta machine, a rolling pin, a silicone mat, cookie cutters)
- embroidery hoop and needles and floss
- knitting needles or knitting loom and yarn (you can make your own knitting loom with cardboard or wood with pegs/nails)
- drawing supplies (a how-to draw book, pencils, pens, paper, etc.)
- painting supplies (a how-to paint book, paint brushes, acrylic paint or watercolors, papers, canvas, etc.)
- a candle making kit (there are melt and pour kits or beeswax kits that have wax sheets that are rolled around the wicks)
- a compiled playlist of how-to YouTube videos
- a tie-dye kit
- a soap making kit (heat and pour soap is the safest option)
- a needle felting kit (needles, different colored felt, a print out of directions or a YouTube video)
- a quilt making kit (quilt batting, needles, thread, quilt squares, a self-healing mat, fabric cutter, everything for someone to make their own quilt)
- a stained glass kit (either the premade suncatchers that can be painted, or pieces of colored glass and a glass cutter and the other tools to make real stained glass art)
- a fountain pen and different inks every day
- a musical instrument and a how-to book (a recorder, a kalimba, a harmonica, a ukulele, a xylophone, etc. They’re inexpensive instruments and don’t require electricity or batteries to use)
a recipe a day
- laminated recipe cards
- a handwritten cookbook
- cookie or biscuit cutters with an included recipe
- baking supplies and recipes (a bag of flour, a bag of sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, etc. Someone could make cookies or pies, or noodles or bread)
- a Dutch oven
- a good skillet
- a nice set of knives
- bakeware
- a set of glass storage containers
- a casserole dish
- mason jars with ingredients and recipe cards (cookies, biscuits, hot cocoa, cake mix, brownie mix, just add milk ice cream in a jar, ramen in a jar, rice side dish, taco seasoning, dried mushrooms, chili in a jar, etc.)
a drawing a day
- homemade coloring pages
- personalized artwork
- simple line art with directions for a do-it-yourself story
a poem a day
- personal poems
- cute poems
- funny poems
a pair of socks a day
- wool socks
- athletic socks
- a sock loom and yarn with a how-to guide
- packs of socks that can be donated on the 24th to a local shelter
a song a day
- a personal playlist given out day by day
- record a song for every day
a funny joke a day
- personalized jokes
- dad jokes
- use calligraphy to write jokes on a little card to open every day
- little magic tricks (the joined rings, a finger trap, the floating coin trick, etc.)
a can of soup a day
- a different flavor can of soup for everyday
- collect the cans of soup and donate them to people in need
- mason jars with soup ingredients (just add water, meat, fresh vegetables, etc.) and recipe cards
a piece of clothes a day
- shirts (a multipack)
- pants
- sweaters
- a cardigan
- underwear (a multipack)
- socks (a multipack)
- a pair of slippers
- a pair of shoes
- a pair of gloves
- a scarf
- a knit hat
- a pair of pajamas
- a piece of lingerie a day
- a coat
- an umbrella (personalize it with acrylic markers?)
- a raincoat
- waterproof boots
a dog treat a day
- some biscuits
- a ball
- a tug rope
- a dog bed
- a dog sweater
- a dog raincoat (this is good to have)
- dog towels
- a dog brush
- a dog pillow (or just an old pillow repurposed)
- a chew bone
a cat treat a day
- a jingly ball
- a cat teaser
- a cat scratcher
- a cat bed
- a cat brush
- an empty cardboard box
- crumpled up paper
- cans of cat food
- Greenies-type cat treats
a personal care item a day
- a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste
- bamboo toothbrushes with boar’s hair bristles
- an electric toothbrush
- extra electric toothbrush heads
- Swedish dishcloths
- a hairbrush and/or comb
- menstrual products (cup, pads, tampons, period underwear, etc.)
- handmade soap
- gift card to a desired brand or store
- a yoga mat
- a set of towels
- a set of hypoallergenic skincare
- wool dryer balls
- washcloths
- nail care products (clippers, scissors, nail polish, press-on nails, etc)
- loofahs
- a collection of hygiene items to donate
a tea a day
- oolong
- green tea
- herbal tea
- a tea set
- a matcha set (including extra bamboo whisks as they are a consumable)
a movie a day
- horror movies DVD/Blu-ray/VOD (Scream collection; Cube collection; Hellraiser collection; 28 Days of Night; Obsession; Get Out; Us; Abigail; Evil Dead collection; Train to Busan; Barbarian; Talk to Me; Bring Her Back; Weapons; Hokum; Ready or Not; Ready or Not 2)
- sci-fi movies DVD/Blu-ray/VOD (Aliens collection; Critters collection; Project Hail Mary; goofy sci-fi collection: Armageddon, The Day After Tomorrow, The Core, 2012; Dark City; Riddick collection; Underwater; The Last Starfighter; Matrix collection; Cowboy Bebop collection; Akira; The Abyss; Predator collection; Terminator collection; Gundam Wing collection)
- fantasy movies DVD/Blu-ray/VOD (Labyrinth; Krull; Lord of the Rings collection; Legend; The Last Unicorn; The Hobbit cartoon by Studio Ghibli; Spirited Away; Princess Mononoke; Howl’s Moving Castle)
- romance movies DVD/Blu-ray/VOD (The Notebook; 50 First Dates (which is also kind of a horror movie); Dirty Dancing; Steel Magnolias; Pretty Woman; What Dreams May Come (which will make you *cry*); Sense and Sensibility; Cruel Intentions)
- comedy movies DVD/Blu-ray/VOD (Parasite (it’s a *dark* comedy (the hot sauce!)); Blades of Glory; Elf; Game Night; Practical Magic; Bill and Ted collection; Jumanji; Clue the Movie; Brides Maids; Death Becomes Her; Back to the Future collection; Eurotrip (Scotty doesn’t know)
- Academy Award movies DVD/Blu-ray/VOD
- classic kid movies DVD/Blu-ray/VOD (The Secret of NIMH?; Babe; Charlotte’s Web; Flight of the Navigator; Sailor Moon collection; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collection; Chronicles of Narnia collection)
a gardening set
- a how-to book
- basic tools (shovel, trowel, hoe, soil, gloves, apron, boots, kneeling pad, hand rake, planters, raised bed, weed puller)
- seeds
- hydroponic grow kit
- composter
- worm farm
a language learning set
- membership to a language learning program (Babbel)
- a dictionary
- a travel guide to the country/countries that speak the language
- a picture dictionary
- a history book or video of the country/countries where the language originated
a cheese of the day
- a different cheese a day with a little card explaining the history of the cheese and how it’s traditionally eaten
- a cheese knife
- a cheese board
- a cheese making kit (there is vegan rennet)
- a cheese slicer
a snack of the day
- a different small package of snacks per day
- homemade snacks for each day
- a movie night set (a card with the name of the movie, popcorn, candy, drink mix or cans of soda)
- crackers, cheese, and preserved meat
- an unbirthday set (cake mix, party hats, streamers, a banner, etc.)
- ingredients and tools and a recipe per day
a treat a day
- a piece of chocolate a day
- a Lego minifig a day
- a doll and accessories
- a Hot Wheels car a day
- a sticker book and a sticker a day
a game a day
- a sudoku book or printed out sudoku pages (there are also magnetic sudoku boards)
- a crossword puzzle book or printed out sudoku pages
- a jigsaw puzzle (either a whole puzzle in a day, or the pieces of a single big puzzle broken into pieces per day (though I would put the puzzle together and then separate the sections so the person could actually assemble something each day rather than having to wait for more pieces))
- a chess and/or checkers set
- playing cards and a book of card game instructions
- blank game cards to make your own boardgame (draw on the cards, make a board with cardboard and glue, make an instruction paper or booklet)
- a video game a day
- a programming guidebook for someone to make their own video game (or use something like Twine to immediately start making a CYOA game)
an ornament a day
- plain glass ornament balls with ribbons for decorating
- a glass or crystal ornament a day
- shrinky dinks for decorating and cutting out
- wooden disk ornaments for decorating (use acrylic markers, or give a wood burning tool or an engraving pen or a wood carving tool kit with the first day disk)
- string and strips of colored paper to decorate and glue into rings for a garland
a jewelry making kit
- string or wire, beads, jewelry making tools
- a fancy bead for every day with a personal message
- wooden beads that can be painted and sealed and/or carved
- plain buttons that can be decorated and added to clothing (there are wooden buttons if you don’t want plastic ones)
a techish item a day
- keyboard keycaps
- a phone case (either a regular case or one that’s made to be decorated)
- a messenger bag or backpack
- a Bluetooth keyboard
- USB memory sticks
- a compact CD player (they’re coming back)
- a DVD/Blu-ray player
- an electric kettle
- a Kuru Toga Engine mechanical pencil and extra lead
- a subscription to a good VPN service and/or something like Incogni
- an electric keyboard piano
- a GPS locator or satellite phone (good for someone that likes hiking or going on road trips)
- an emergency radio (the kind that you wind up)
- memory cards (include a phone adapter)
- mouse pad
- a selfie stick
- a solar charger
- a hand crank charger
- a sanitizer light and reusable UV/UVB/UVC tester cards (these are good to test whether UV sanitizer lights are working)
- battery charger and rechargeable batteries (you want one that does multiple sizes rather than one that’s limited to AA and AAA)
- an immersion blender (make a smoothie to keep from starving)
- Bluetooth headphones or earbuds
- a phone service gift card (something like Mint Mobile or something where you can buy 3, 6, 9, or 12 month cards with unlimited Internet)
Making an advent calendar can either follow a theme or can involve a different unique experience for every day.
An advent calendar should be fun and enjoyable for both the giver and the receiver. Like, you don’t want to give a kid everything to bake with or a musical instrument, and then you don’t actually want to bake with them or listen to them practice their instrument. Going in, you have to realize what your part is going to be. If you don’t actually want to be part of someone’s advent calendar experience, then it’s easy to do coloring books or clothing or little pieces of chocolate or snacks that they can enjoy on their own.
There’s a joy in giving an advent calendar to someone you care about. In watching them open each day’s gift and knowing that you put some thought and feeling into what you are giving.
Commercially available advent calendars are exciting when you get them, and you might open up each day and not be disappointed. I was very pleased with the Coco Wyo coloring book advent calendar. But a lot of times there are some days that you open the little door or box and there’s something in there that you would not have chosen if given what you wanted.
~Harper Kingsley
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