Advent Calendars
Blow Your Whole Holiday Budget with These Bougie Countdowns
I LOVE ADVENT CALENDARS. It combines my need to remember how soon Christmas is with miniatures and small boxes. I agonized over which calendar to get myself. I settled on a book lover’s stationary calendar, which I immediately misplaced as soon as it arrived. I have no idea why it is not with the other 3 advent calenders we purchased. So I ordered a different book lover’s stationary calendar, and when I inevitably find the original one, we will have 5 calendars to open each morning: a Hot Wheels one for my son, a makeup one for my 6-year-old who has a keen interest in theatrical makeup and keeps stealing mine, a Lego one that was sent to us by an uncle, and my two stationary for book lovers calendars. A reason to get up in the morning!
A Bougie Start to the Christmas Season
As I researched my calendar to purchase, I had to look at the most expensive ones on the planet, and then take it back down 30 notches to my won budget of under $40. Here are the most impressive ones I found.
Swarovski offers an advent calendar featuring 25 crystal ornaments, made up of 5,283 facets, which I just found out means how many crystal surfaces there are. I have a special place in my heart for Swarovski as I wore a necklace and earrings from them for my wedding. (Is that why is it special, or is it because I purchased them immediately after seeing Britney in Vegas?) They are very pretty, and as it is listed as “not recommended for children under 15,” no one would be allowed near my Christmas tree.
Dior’s 2024 Advent Calendar is $4,400 and believe it or not, is out of stock. Known as the “Trunk of Dreams,” it’s crafted out of premium wood, not handcrafted, just crafted. (I need to know what type of wood because a woodworker raised me, and I have knowledge and opinions about wood.) It is decorated in Toile de Marais, which pays homage to the façade of 30 Avenue Montaigne. Toile de Marais is a fancy book binding fabric, and 30 Avenue Montaigne is the address of Dior in Paris. (I walked by this on my way to a French cooking class.) I watched a TikTok video of a woman opening it. It appears to contain perfume and such. The lady who posted it appears to only take pictures of herself in front of incredibly fancy things (GOALS). She describes herself as a “digital creator.” In other words, she has a trust fund and a camera.
Now, I own a few pieces from Tiffany’s. I have invested in a few things as I occasionally need to attend events as a colonel’s wife and not look like I’ve been to war with a classroom full of third graders. I love the robin’s egg blue. I love going into the store. It is quintessential New York City. They have an advent calendar for only $112,000. I would swoon, but the guilt over how many people are facing food insecurity would overwhelm me and I could never own this. To be rich and not care! However, it appears to be top secret and not available for looking online. When I click any link related to it, I get Anne Taylor Joy running around in their jewelry.
In an expected twist, there is advent calendar drama. Tea I love to sip! In 2021, Chanel released an advent calendar in honor of the 100th anniversary of Chanel No. 5, retailing at $825. However, the products included only amount to a value of $391. People flock to luxury advent calendars because you are getting a deal. A YouTuber pointed this out in October. A TikTokker added fuel to the fire in November. By December, it was known as Frye Festival of advent calendars after another influencer on TikTok called it that and then proceeded to have 50 million views.
I could not discuss advent calendars without talking about what Williams-Sonoma is offering. They are selling 24 different calendars this year! How does one choose? They have regular ones for everyone that are Elf, Peanuts, or Harry Potter-themed, as well as ones featuring their famous Christmas candies. The one that stands out to me, however, is the luxury advent calendar featuring Chuck Williams’ all-time favorite products. (If you are not familiar with Chuck Williams, let me put it this way: Julia Child brought the French recipes to America, and Chuck Williams sold the cookware you needed.) It is currently on clearance for $240, but looking at what is included, I think we have another Chanel disaster on our hands here. There is no way the items included add up to that, even with the 40% markup on all their products. I own one of the included ornaments, and I got it for maybe $5 on clearance there 20 years ago. Would I waste my money on this if I had the disposable income? If I did not know so much about the products included, probably. I know too much.
There will be no cocktails this week as I recover from the 29-hour Thanksgiving cook-a-thon. However, I did spend the afternoon dehydrating fruit for some DIY cocktail-themed gifts I will be showing you all how to make next week.
Cheers,
Anne