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Home  >  Blog  >  ‘Two’s a king, three’s another king…’

‘Two’s a king, three’s another king…’

Trish Burgess Posted on18/11/201216/09/2016 Reviews 16 Comments

In the 1960s and 70s I remember my advent calendar was usually a piece of card featuring a snowy scene, lots of sparkly glitter and very tiny doors. The doors opened to a picture of a toy, an animal, maybe bells or an angel and, if you were lucky, double doors on 24th December revealing a little Nativity scene. There were no toys, no treats and definitely no chocolate: just a very small picture. Yet it was still the highlight of every day during Advent, to pick at the corner of the little paper door to see what was behind it.

Over the years Advent calendars have become much more sophisticated and the addition of chocolate has been an irreversible and irresistible trend. But why is it just the kids having fun with their chocolate treat before breakfast. Can’t the adults indulge in some Advent appetisers too?

Hotel Chocolat have come up with some rather gorgeous Advent calendars featuring white, milk or dark chocolate. Would I like to try one? They didn’t need to ask twice so the dark chocolate calendar was sent for the Burgess family to try. It felt very sinful testing them out in November but needs must.

Verdict? Beautiful, smooth, heavenly chocolates for a discerning palate. More expensive than the run-of-the-mill calendars which fill the supermarket shelves but worth considering as a special gift or if you’d rather have decent quality (70%) chocolate in the run up to Christmas.
If you’re wondering what the title of this post is all about, here’s a very short video clip taken on Christmas morning, 1998, when Rory was aged two. He had just eaten the final chocolate from his Advent calendar and was completing his daily challenge of remembering, by the shapes remaining behind the doors, which chocolate he had eaten from 1 to 24. I’m only showing you the first few because, once he knew we were recording him, he became very silly and started talking in a strange voice which made no sense at all. Well, it was Christmas Day.I might always remember the flimsy, glittery card with its miniature drawings but this video will help me remember my little lad, sitting up in our bed with a streaming cold and a bad cough, reciting his Advent Calendar – two’s a king, three’s another king, four’s a penguin….

 

I was sent a complimentary Advent Calendar to taste and review. 

 

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16 Comments

  1. Kelloggs Ville Reply
    18/11/2012 at 7:46 pm

    Finished mine lol I sounded like that after the bottle of wine I drunk whilst eating it!

    • Trish @ Mums Gone To... Reply
      18/11/2012 at 7:50 pm

      I've just noticed you've been reviewing them too. Aren't they gorgeous?

      I'm wondering if maybe Rory's had been liqueurs!

      I've still got a few more: I think a nice glass of brandy might go down well.

  2. Expat mum Reply
    18/11/2012 at 9:37 pm

    Awww, how utterly sweet and snotty at the same time.

    • Trish @ Mums Gone To... Reply
      18/11/2012 at 10:37 pm

      Made my heart melt just watching the little lamb. Lovely rattly old cough though!

  3. MsCaroline Reply
    18/11/2012 at 9:58 pm

    The grown-up advent calendar looks charming- but I love the Rory video the best…

    • Trish @ Mums Gone To... Reply
      18/11/2012 at 10:38 pm

      I could eat both of them up!

  4. libby Reply
    19/11/2012 at 7:23 am

    Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh.

    • Trish @ Mums Gone To... Reply
      19/11/2012 at 8:07 am

      :-)))))

  5. Sarah Reply
    19/11/2012 at 10:15 am

    It sounds a nice idea. My mum always gets herself a posh advent calendar with beautiful art work and no chocs. I think chocs should be superfluous for adults, but variety is the spice of life so why not?

    Personally I'd favour one with chocolates filled with liqueurs for an evening treat.

    I got my boys Kinder trees this year for the better quality chocolate and they were on special offer…

    The video is so cute. What a lovely little lad.

    • Trish @ Mums Gone To... Reply
      19/11/2012 at 10:19 am

      I don't think I've seen liqueur advent calendars but they would be great. I saw Emma in Munich had a photo of a beer advent calendar – it must have been quite a hefty thing.
      Rory also has a wooden calendar with tiny wooden toys in each drawer – he still enjoys it even though he's a big lad now.

  6. About Last Weekend Reply
    19/11/2012 at 7:52 pm

    What a cutie video! Now I'm wondering where Kevin put the ocassional video we did. I have great memories of these canlenders back in the day…

    • Trish @ Mums Gone To... Reply
      20/11/2012 at 8:26 am

      I've now spent hours looking through old videos: so pleased we recorded things like this.

  7. Curry Queen Reply
    20/11/2012 at 6:27 pm

    I'm well jel because Hotel Chocolat make the best chocs I have ever tasted! My advent calendars were just like yours as a child and, although I'm not particularly religious, I do object to buying Simpsons or Football Club calendars. – they seem to miss the point somehow! What a little cutie Rory was!

    • Trish @ Mums Gone To... Reply
      20/11/2012 at 7:42 pm

      I'd never tasted their chocolate before but I will again – very yummy and glossy chocs. Agree, I like advent calendars to at least have some kind of Christmas theme.

  8. BavarianSojourn Reply
    21/11/2012 at 9:18 am

    Such lovely memories, and that chocolate looks goood! 🙂 We passed a "paper" advent calendar in the airport yesterday, covered in glitter. We used to have these years ago before we were introduced to the chocolate variety! 🙂

    • Trish @ Mums Gone To... Reply
      21/11/2012 at 9:59 am

      The choice of Christmas decorations has also increased hugely since my childhood. We used to have very naff tinsel and that was about it. Maybe I'm just old!

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