Advent calendars trace their roots to Germanic traditions and have become a powerful marketing tool over the last century, with just about anything and everything finding success in this mini-serial format
Tick tock, tick tock... Just a few more days of waiting before people will get to open the first window of their advent calendar. The tradition has become a must for counting down to the festive holidays in late December. This practice, which traces its roots to Germanic traditions, has become a powerful marketing tool over the last century, with just about anything and everything finding success in this mini serial format—which often flies in the face of the eco-responsible direction many brands have been taking in recent years.
Advent calendars have become so popular that it's no longer a question of asking someone if they have one, but of knowing how many will be çn display in one's living room in December. Beauty, fashion, gardening, gastronomy, automotive, jewelry, crafts, culture, toys, design... The advent calendar craze has spread to every market sector—or just about. Instead of running out of steam, the phenomenon seems to grow from year to year, inspiring extravagant projects and versions, as well as some exorbitant prices. All this has led to a growing interest in these little boxes with a whimsical design, which were initially intended to help children wait patiently until December 25.
The story could have stopped there, with something sweet behind each window in the aim of teaching children patience. But the growing craze for a series of little gifts took hold of consumers of all ages, fueled by ever-increasing ingenuity from brands tapping into the phenomenon, and progressively rolling them out in versions that encompass every possible product category and format, with some utterly extreme versions being the ultimate result.
No need to name any brands in particular, nearly all of them have at least one calendar in their range and many offer several, since they create specific versions in line with the various tastes, desires, and budgets of their customers. Some of them even offer personalized or customizable versions, while others sell DIY kits to make them yourself and fill them with treats, toys, messages, and other objects of all kinds. From ultra accessible to ultra luxurious, when it comes to advent calendars, anything goes. In fact these small-sized gifts packed into a countdown format inspire such enthusiasm that beauty retailer Beauty Pie recently created a contest wherein one lucky Advent calendar fan could get paid in exchange for reviewing several of them.
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Because a key element of Advent calendars—and one that can't be ignored—is that the overwhelming majority of them—depending on the brand—retail at prices well below what their contents would fetch. A sales argument widely promoted by the brands. And while this may indeed be true for brands that offer products similar or even identical to what's regularly found on their shelves, making calculations easy, it's not always the case, especially when it comes to samples or special edition goodies that don't exist at retail. As a result, prices can easily soar—US$300 euros, US$500, even up to several thousand dollars for the extreme luxury versions -- making the disappointment even greater when the contents don't meet expectations.
Something that a major luxury house experienced fallout from last year, when it became the subject of a controversy on social networks. The cause? Its Advent calendar, retailing for US$825, was criticized by an influencer who did not appreciate the contents. If it contained miniature versions of collector perfumes, lipsticks, and creams, the luxury-priced box also contained, according to the young woman, pins, stickers, pouches, and decorative tree baubles that the label would generally offer free of charge to its customers upon the purchase of a product. A bit disappointing considering the amount of money spent. Fortunately, it's always possible to know the contents of an advent calendar before going to the checkout, allowing consumers to make perfectly informed choices.
That said, even if the products are organic, natural, vegan, cruelty-free, and manufactured locally, the question of packaging for Advent calendars inevitably arises. It's always better to choose Advent calendars made of sustainable materials, or recycled materials, without samples, or with very few, because of the waste generated by these—even if they aren't made of plastic. Regular or travel-size calendars are less harmful to the planet, as are products that don't require packaging.
To go even further in terms of eco responsibility, you can also choose to make a calendar yourself, either completely on your own, or with the help of kits provided by many companies. It is better to use recycled—and recyclable—cardboard or paper, reusable linen bags, or small wooden boxes that will be used for future Christmases.