There’s an unspoken rule: you can buy a cheap advent calendar for a child, but an M&S Advent Calendar is a treat for you. It’s the calendar you buy when you tell yourself, “I deserve a little joy before the chaos of wrapping presents and defrosting the turkey.” It’s the equivalent of buying a fancy bath bomb you’re afraid to use, except you will use this every single day because it’s chocolate.
It’s also perfect for that one friend who says they “don’t do Christmas.” You know the one. They claim to be a Scrooge but secretly have six playlists of festive jazz. Handing them an M&S calendar is like sneaking them a cup of mulled wine when no one’s looking. They’ll take it. They’ll love it. They’ll pretend it’s for “research purposes.”
The ‘Missing Chocolate’ Catastrophe
Here is a true story: Last year, I left my M&S calendar on the kitchen counter, and our cat, Trevor, managed to nudge it off the table. The box didn’t break, but the impact knocked the chocolates loose inside. I spent a solid twenty minutes trying to figure out which chocolate belonged to which day. Then I just ate them all. It was a sad, delicious day of chronological fraud. M&S should really make a “cat-proof” version. I’d buy two.
So, when you see that red and gold box at the checkout, don’t hesitate. Pick it up. Buy it for yourself. Buy it for your neighbour. Hell, buy two—one for you and one for a backup when you inevitably “accidentally” finish yours by December 15th. It’s the most indulgent, self-respecting, and utterly pointless way to count down the days until you can eat a whole Yule log in one sitting. And it’s magnificent.
