Christmas: How I discovered what it's really all about – Hayley Matthews

We've managed to accumulate four advent calendars this year and almost all of them have been raided so far.
Christmas is a time of peace and goodwill to all, and chocolate (Picture: Giuseppe Cacace/Getty Images)Christmas is a time of peace and goodwill to all, and chocolate (Picture: Giuseppe Cacace/Getty Images)
Christmas is a time of peace and goodwill to all, and chocolate (Picture: Giuseppe Cacace/Getty Images)

I have a very special, handmade felt one that was given to my eldest a few years ago by his Great Grandmother and I refill it every year so that's our main one.

However, my youngest spotted a Paw Patrol one and a large chocolate one in the shops recently and I couldn't resist. I also thought there would be a small chance that I would get to open a door one morning, but you need to be really quick in this house.

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On December 2, I realised the advent calendars weren't going to last as long as they should when I caught my youngest wiring into the massive Santa from door 24, accompanied by an aperitif from doors 1-15! We still have a few chocolates in between but, to be honest, it's not really been a traditional opening of the advent calendars this year.

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How do you explain to a three-year-old that here is a box filled with chocolate but you can only eat one a day?

I suppose it's quite cruel when you think about it, dangling a box of chocolates and only having one a day. I know if you gave me a bag of chocolate buttons and told me just to only eat one, I'd be telling you where to go.

But I've come up with a solution. I've been filling the doors back up with chocolate that a friend kindly dropped off for the boys and isn't that what Christmas is about anyway? Eating chocolate? Yes, 100 per cent!

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