Playmobil Advent Calendars

Can you believe we still have buckets of Halloween candy? I don't want to throw it all away (what a waste!) but I don't want to give it all to the kids. I don't want to donate it all to a shelter either, because why would I want to give other people's kids cavities? I let them eat a piece every couple of daysWhen my dad was visiting he faithfully ate away at their stash, but even with his love for chocolate bars, he wasn't able to make a huge dent, so the candy is still there.

To make things worse, the holidays are here! That means candy canes, chocolate Santas and peppermint bark on December 25 -- but it doesn't stop there. Starting December 1, thousands of kids will be tearing open little cardboard doors and cramming chocolate into their mouths every day. You know what I'm talking about: the chocolate Advent Calendar.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no Grinch or Ebeneezer Scrooge, I think it's a fun tradition for counting down the days to Christmas, but after the Halloween sugar avalanche, let's just say I'm not looking forward to the candy Advent Calendar. This year we're going for the non-candy option. I love the idea of Advent calendars in the form of stockings or boxes that contain little presents each day. The only problem is that these little "trinkets" often mean "junk", and they get thrown away. Buying 24 $5 or $10 toys is out of the question; I'm sorry but I'm just not one of those people who's going to spend hundreds of dollars on holiday toys for my kids.

If you feel the same way as I do, there's another option: The Playmobil Advent Calendar. Each of the 24 windows contains a small Playmobil toy, but unlike the junk from the dollar store, you'll end up with a whole playset that your child can play with long after the candy canes have melted and the junky toys have been thrown away. If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that I'm a huge fan of Playmobil toys and it's one of the few toys that I feel you can never have too many of. I've always wanted to buy my kids a Playmobil Advent Calendar but every year for the past 3 or 4 years we've been buying them Playmobil sets for Christmas or birthday presents (the twins have a late December birthday) so I always felt guilty about getting them even more Playmobil. But this year Playmobil sent us the Christmas in the Forest Advent Calendar, and my kids can't wait to start opening it up! They are waaaay more excited about the Playmobil Advent Calendar than a chocolate candy Advent Calendar, so much so that I think I will actually purchase 2 more so that each kid gets their own Playmobil Advent Calendar on December 1.



Having a Playmobil set in the Advent Calendar format is sheer genius! Your child gets the joy of a new Playmobil toy every day for 24 days, and each day it gets better because he's adding to his Playmobil collection and getting more scope for his imagination. You feel like a great parent because you're continuing the Advent Calendar holiday tradition, you're giving him a high-quality toy, you're spending less than $1 per day for the 24 days (the sets sell for $17-$20) and you're not giving him even more chocolate and candy than he's already going to get this month. It's a win-win situation and I don't know why I've waited this long to get one for the kids!

This year Playmobil has 9 different kinds of Advent Calendars that appeal to girls and boys with a wide range of interests (police, fairies, nativity, pony ranch, etc..) so you're sure to find one your child will like. You can get them online at PlaymobilUSA.com, at fine toy stores, or at big retailers like Toys R Us or Amazon. Just make sure you get them -- December 1 is coming soon!

Disclosure: I received a Playmobil Advent Calendar courtesy of Playmobil and Litzky Public Relations, but was not paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by the featured company/product and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.