I’ve had better years. There was Pudding Advent for my son, presented each night with a flourish of a silver cloche, camply engraved at Timpson’s with “A Feast of Advents for Kit, Christmas 2022”. Sometimes he got lucky with a Terry’s Chocolate Orange and sometimes it was just a yoghurt, slightly approaching its sell by date.
Another hit year was Meat Advent. This was a family affair because it was basically supper, rebranded. It came with a hand illustrated menu, stuck to the fridge, and involved an introduction to a variety of new meats including Kangaroo sausage, a duck à l’orange and plenty of dubious pies. During this era, Kit memorised all twelve steak cuts listed in the Quality Chop House cookbook; it was definitely a phase. But the party game “name that steak” remains a favourite, even today.
For my mother, I’ve gathered a Haberdashery Advent. She makes all the textiles for our dolls houses so scraps of vintage fabric, fine silk embroidery threads from Maison Sajou, patches from Hand & Lock make for a fine selection.
Some years are busier than others, which is when Commemorative Coins Advent comes in handy (on subscription, so you squirrel them away all year, feeling very smug until you inevitably forget to cancel the direct debit). I’ve opted for Flower Fairies and Star Wars coins, both beautifully and substantially rendered. In general, Advent gifts work best when they are edible or everlasting.
Bunny with her preferred fruit and veg
As with all the great traditions, you have to pass it on, and last year, for the first time 13-year-old Kit took charge of his 3-year-old sister’s presents. He carefully wrapped each of his formerly beloved Maileg mice (and their various accessories) in different coloured tissue papers and regifting them to her in a Coco & Wolf patchwork which hangs from her door at a suitably inaccessible height. This is a very practical approach – it clears space in the loft and tarts up a hand-me-down situation that would happen anyway; everyone’s a winner. But she preferred his other concept: Fruit and Vegetable Advent! Because Bunny is a person who delights in the natural world and is rarely found playing with toys when there’s an apple or a broccoli available. She sleeps with pumpkins in her cot and foliage under her pillow. Wooden varieties will not do, they must be the real thing and so Kit decided that each day he would bring her home unusual fruits and vegetables to widen her horticultural horizons. There’s an excellent corner shop on his way home from school that supplied all manner of grocery gems and although the presentation lacked charm (his rucksack), the results were euphoric.
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