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Advent calendars don’t have to be limited to chalky chocolate and tone-deaf Christmas images.

If you have missed it so far, you’ve probably not been inside any type of shopping mall in the past month, but the signs are everywhere…it’s that time of the year!

With the December holidays on our doorstep, check-out lines are once again filled with the delicious traps that herald the upcoming festivities. Little chocolate balls covered in brightly coloured foil, tins of cookies, candy canes, and all manner of fruitcakes and mince pies, assuring that this will, once again be more of a “sarong and t-shirt” summer, instead of an “itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie bikini” summer.

What you choose to buy and eat, is really none of our business. But we know that most parents these days are well aware of the dangers of excessive sugar for children.

You can’t stop grandparents and well meaning family members from “spoiling” your kids with truck loads of candy, but you can take control of that one piece of sugar they traditionally started their day with.

The classic “advent calendar”, counting down the 25 days to Christmas, is pretty straight forward. Cheap baking chocolate poured into 25 little suitably festive moulds hidden behind cardboard flaps. (That is, if you think that snowmen, sleighs and snowflakes are appropriate for our sultry South African summer Christmases). Isn’t there something better? Something with a bit of imagination?

Well – we’ve found some alternatives.

For The Kiddos

Forest friends personalised advent calendar

Themed Lego Advent Calendars

Here is a link to the Lego City Advent Calendar

Look out for the Star Wars or Harry Potter versions as well.

Toddler friendly and reusable magnetic Christmas tree calendar:

For The Grownups In Your Life:

Luxury L’Occitane beauty product advent calendar

Sparkling moments makeup countdown calendar

Holiday Promises

Make up 24 cards with favourite quality pastimes that the family can do together and stick them on a board. Each day pick off one card and enjoy doing that day’s task with your children or partner. This doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive. Ideas include:

• Eating dessert first.
• Spending a whole Saturday in pyjamas.
• Having a dance party.
• Planting a windowsill garden.
• Going for a walk.

Whether you choose to go the luxury route, the DIY route or even just pick up a basic cardboard chocolate advent calendar the next time you’re in the shops – don’t lose focus of what’s really important this time of year.

Family. Peace. Love. If you can add some champagne and mince pies to the mix, well that’s a bonus!