This past Thanksgiving weekend (and I hope everyone had a safe and happy one!), I came across an item I'd like to share since it's something that many of you have been asking: Advent calendars.
Many of us remember these fun calendars from our childhood--the calendars begin with the date December 1st and offer a different door to open until Christmas on the 25th. Usually these calendars offer a little piece of Christmas chocolate behind each door.
Since chocolate is one of the most common candies with nut allergen warnings, most of us have had to give these up for our own kids. One source is Amanda's Own Advent calendar available at Peanut-Free Planet, the candy is nut-free, egg-free and dairy-free. You have to order these early, though!
New as of November 2013: Vermont Nut Free Chocolates now has Advent Calendars! Visit their web site and look under their "Christmas" section for details!
The crafty and artistic parents among us can make their own calendars--one of my readers made a beautiful one using felt pockets for each day; she then placed treats in the pockets. I'm very unskilled in crafts--my thing is cooking/baking--so if you are good at crafts, this is a great idea.
For the rest of us (or for those of us with a love of unique Christmas decor) I may have found a solution: wooden Advent calendars. (Two styles are pictured above). I came across these beautiful heirloom quality calendars while at a local store this past Saturday--check your local stores that sell Christmas decor. You can also buy them online at Byer's Choice.
At $85 a pop, these are not cheap. However, they are a beautiful Christmas decoration that is reusable and can become a family favorite that you can pass down to future generations. And best of all--they don't come with unsafe candy-it's up to you to supply the treat behind each door. In person, these really are gorgeous.
Let me wrap up with two sources for chocolate Hanukkah coins: Vermont Nut-Free Chocolate and Divvies. Vermont Nut-Free is free of peanuts and tree nuts only; Divvies is nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free. Visit their web sites to find out more.
In the coming weeks, I'll have lots more holiday tips, resources and special recipes. Please share yours by commenting below!
4 comments:
Guardian Angel foods out of Quebec, Canada, has an online store with an allergen-free Advent calendar (no peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, or dairy).
http://alimentsangegardien.com/boutiqueshopag/c378007483.2.html
Last year, I fashioned an Advent calendar from cardboard and Andes candies. They are nut-free, and come in so many flavours I had no trouble keeping the rotation interesting. They are also small, wrapped, and easy to affix to a board with double-sided tape. A post-it note makes an easy door.
Not the fanciest calender around, but the kiddo was happy.
A representative from Trader Joe's informed me that their Advent calendar manufactured in Canada is nut-free. It is made in a shared facility, but on a separate nut-free line. He confirmed this after contacting the manufacturer directly this morning. My son had his first piece today with no problems...hope this helps in tracking down safe holiday goodies for your kids!
I am hoping to craft or buy a reusable advent calendar next year for my kids. The nice thing about these is that you can skip the treat/food entirely and put in little toys or stickers...perhaps a piece of lego for each day with enough to build something at the end? Then you can customize it for your child(ren) and skip the food entirely.
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