Thanks to the lovely people at Lakeland Limited, Flea and I have the most gorgeous advent train this Christmas. It’s a proper Santa’s workshop style train with 24 little cargo drawers, which can hold a small treat or sweets.
Being a TOP-NOTCH Mummy, I spent the last weekend of November scouring ELC for tiny dinosaur figures that would fit into the little drawers of the advent calendar. Come December 1st, each drawer contained a single dinosaur and a chocolate coin.
Flea was really excited to open the first drawer when she got home from school. She was thrilled with her little pterodactyl – dinosaurs are one of her very favourite things. I left her playing and went to make dinner.
When I came back into the lounge 10 minutes later, I found my daughter playing schools with 24 little dinosaurs. “You’ll never guess what Mummy… there was a dinosaur in EVERY drawer!” she said.
Ah.
It felt somehow anti-Christmas to be cross, so I just said, “Oh, that’s nice, but you know you only have one chocolate a day, right?”
The next day, I trekked back to ELC and bought another 24 mini dinosaurs (see? Total top-notch Mummy conduct). While Flea was at school I carefully re-filled the drawers. When she came home and opened drawer number 2, her eyes were like saucers. “Wow,” I told her. “Father Christmas must have put another one in there.”
Then, we cuddled up on the sofa together under a blanket to watch Flea’s favourite DVD of the moment – Alvin and the Chipmunks. Obviously, I fell asleep. When I woke up, Flea was still snuggled under the blanket next to me. Bless. And on top of the blanket? Were 48 miniature dinosaurs, all riding in the back of a toy lorry.
Brilliant.
Just FYI, I’ve told Flea that due to supply chain issues, the elf-store won’t be getting any more deliveries of dinosaurs until January.
She is very clever for a young one!!!
Father Christmas doesn’t fill ours until the task has been done each evening. I learned my lesson last year.
Hehe, classic 🙂
Brilliant! The best laid plans of mice and mummys gang aft whatever..
yes…. know where you are with this. we have a beautifully carved wooden christmas tree with 24 little boxes. last year I spent a fortune on presents for it and because this year there are two presents for ech box i decided to just fill them with sweets (see, not such a top-notch mummy). lo and behold all my wonderful training has succeeded and my four year old has shown great self-restraint by understanding we only open one a day. Until I got to day 10. Empty. as were 11, 12, 13…. et al. oh my four year old is still well trained. unfortuntely my 2 year old is not! still, i filled them all up again – it is Christmas after all.
Perfect, and what a lovely advent calendar – you’ll be able to use it year after year. We have a couple of ‘green’ ones – plus the more trad choc-in-cardboard ones too.
That is clever and lovely 🙂
Now that advent calender looks fabulous. Suddenly our cardboard one looks rather pathetic!
So she’s not into delayed gratification, then?
@TheMadHouse – there’s a task? Genius.
@Dan – yes, I feel I’ve learned an important parenting lesson here. When it comes to kids, there’s no such thing as deferred gratification.
@Elizabeth – as ever, really.
@MummyMania – that made me laugh – you started well, though.
@Liz – yes, Lakeland have the loveliest Advent calendars.
@April – thanks, she’s a cutie, really.
@Rosie – yours is biodegradable, on the upside 🙂
@Natalie – Oh my goodness! Advent catastrophe indeed. I love that he just took it out, though – didn’t the 19 on the front of the pocket give him a clue??!
@Iota – is any four year old?
Haha that’s adorable and so funny. Am laughing at my desk (people around me are starting to stare…)