Advent Calendaring

Every year for the last 4 or so, my mom, the seester, and I all get Jacquie Lawson Advent calendars.  We and the nieces love them.  You buy one and load it onto your computer and then each day there is a new short video or activity to do.  This year's theme is a European Christmas Market (the artist is British):

If you open it during the day the scene is daytime, if you open it at night it looks like this.  The clock on the clock tower is always the correct time.  Each day after you watch the video or do the project then another part of the market opens until everything is lit up and open for Christmas.  It's fun, and this year I'm actually getting to enjoy it with the nieces instead of by myself and hearing about their reactions.  (Oh...did I mention I'm staying until after Christmas?  Yep.  6 weeks in Montana!  Hubby suggested it, and even though it's weird, it's also wonderful to spend so much time with the fam.  I can't believe I've been here 3 weeks already.)

I went in search of shoe Advent calendars, just to see if there are any out there.  Here's what I found:

Itty bitty shoes for each day!  I love it.  I'm not sure what would be in each shoe.  Maybe chocolate?  Maybe little gifts of some kind?  Maybe notes or coloring pages?

I found a lot of variations on this one.  I, of course, would be thrilled with a pair of shoes in each pocket, but I can also see how you could fit all kinds of fun stuff in the bigger pockets.

 

Adorable, but needs more color.   Mom, isn't this the same pattern you made my shoe ornaments from?  This one would be fun to put something into every day instead of taking something out.

 

Not shoes, but since I like socks as well, I thought this was adorable.  It would be a way to use all of those sad socks in the house who have no partners!

Also not shoes, but too adorable not to share.

This one is cute enough at first glance, but I wasn't exactly sure what it was, so I went to the website, and you have got to read the description:


Selfridges Miniature Shoe Collection Advent Calendar £18,000

Buy it: Spare £18k? Great. Now the small matter of money is out of the way, we can tell you how great this calendar is. Teeny weeny versions of shoes from Maison Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Rupert Sanderson, Alexandre Birman, Casadei, Charlotte Olympia, Repetto and Fendi to name a few. Helen Attwood, Footwear Buying Manager said: “This bespoke cabinet is a one of a kind item and a shoe obsessive’s dream.”

Don’t buy it: Why? Because you can’t. Now go home, open a tiny paper door and eat a stale chocolate like everyone else.

Available at Selfridges, London only.

18,000 pounds?  Holy buckets!  That's $28,044.  Absolutely insane.  I think I'll go make a calendar out of old socks, now.  I can at least afford that one...