Advent-2024

Since we moved into this home, I have tried to find Advent calendars that will be special for each of the kiddos. Last year I upgraded from the $1.29 Trader Joe's or $0.99 Aldi's chocolate Advent calendars and got the fancy Aldi Advent calendars for Monkey and Buster and a puzzle Advent calendar for Yessa.

This year, I planned way ahead and the surprises sat in a huge box under the craft table for a month. As I expected, no one noticed or questioned the box, which made for a great reveal on the first night of Advent.

This year, Monkey received a Lego Advent calendar.

Yessa again received a puzzle calendar.

Buster got a more traditional chocolate Advent calendar, but being the progressive Mom that I am, I had to find one that was child-labor-free, sustainably harvested, and all around "woke."

While the varieties of chocolate were delightful, and the facts about chocolate interesting, it was a surprise to find each chocolate emblazoned with a "broken-chains" logo signifying no children were enslaved to harvest it. The biggest shock to all of us was when Buster opened day 11 to find it was empty. Not because the chocolate had been forgotten, but to signify the many people who live in poverty despite their work harvesting chocolate, and some of those people are children.

It made for interesting conversations.

They each agreed they liked the individually chosen Advent calendars. We'll see what we find for them next year.

The one other tradition that only got half a shot this year was gingerbread house creation. Though Buster and Monkey enjoyed their gingerbread, Yessa was the only one who managed to actually put the house together.

The college semester kept everyone busy right up until the holiday this year, so some of the traditions just felt too crunched. We'll see what next Christmas holds and we'll adjust as we need.

It was all still a delight, chocolate chains and all.