[I have literally cut-and-pasted last year’s post, because really all I want to do is an exact repeat of last year. I only changed the last paragraphs. So if this feels familiar, you are correct.]
I have a Christmas thing to recommend. My aunt sent us one of these a few years ago, and now we buy our own each year. It’s an Advent calendar for the computer—though I believe it would be more precisely called a “countdown to Christmas” calendar, since it’s for December 1-25 rather than a period of time including the four Sundays preceding Christmas. ANYWAY. It has turned out to be the funnest thing, and I love it, and the kids love it.
It costs four dollars, which was a hurdle for me at first, I’m not sure why. Actually, I think I know why: it’s because paying for something online means giving information and money online, and I feel squirrelly about that with any new company. If I could have bought a computer disc for $4 at the store, I wouldn’t have even hesitated.
I haven’t even told you really what this IS yet. First of all, it is a cute snow globe that sits in the corner of your computer screen, looking like so:
(art shown is by jacquielawson.com)
When you click on it, as you will do at least once a day, you’ll get this little menu:
(art shown is by jacquielawson.com)
If you choose “Enter Scene,” your whole computer screen will be filled with this picture:
(art shown is by jacquielawson.com)
See all the numbers scattered around? You can click on each number on or after its day: i.e., on the 3rd, you can click the number 3, and you can also still go to 1 and 2. Some days, clicking a number will take you to a short animation with music. For example, on Day 1 this year, there was a band gathering to play a Christmas song. Some days, you’ll instead go to an activity or game. For example, on Day 2, we got to DECORATE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS:
(art shown is by jacquielawson.com)
We were all FIGHTING to take turns to do this. There are also Christmas trees to decorate:
(art shown is by jacquielawson.com)
Again, lots of fighting about whose turn it is to decorate a tree. (I have to wait until they go to bed or school to get a turn.) There are three trees to decorate (and re-decorate: you can do it again and again, AND WE DO), and one of them (the one most recently decorated, Elizabeth says) [Update: she is wrong, it’s the one you drag the “Display” sign to], shows up IN THE SCENE ITSELF after you decorate it! The stained glass windows also appear in the scene! It is so fun. And then when you’re done playing you choose “Shrink Scene” at the bottom of the page, and it all disappears back into the little snow globe.
Although one countdown-to-Christmas calendar is $4, if you buy ten or more of them they’re only $2 each. I find this kind of deal difficult to resist, so I’m buying ten of them. One is for me, one is for my niece and nephew, and I will give the other eight to you. The calendar is sent by email; you then go to the site from your link and download the calendar.
Last year’s theme, shown in the photos above, was Victorian Christmas; this year it’s English Seaside. But if you missed last year’s, and you like the Victorian concept better than the Seaside concept, you can have it: they made a 2016 version. So when you leave a comment, you can say which one you’d prefer, Victorian or Seaside.
Last year I didn’t think of doing this until we were already on December 3rd, so we had to rush; this year we have time. Let’s say I’ll pick eight names on Tuesday evening, the 29th. That gives us a day for things like collecting email addresses, making sure emails got through, getting the thing set up on the computer, etc.
Ooh, fun! Last year I ended up buying this for myself and my kids loved it so much! I’d love to win one, but I surely will pony up the $4 if I don’t!
Oooh! Pick me please! The children will LOVE this
This sounds like so much fun for me and the kids. Pick me!
Love this! Last year I think I saw the post too late to enter, and it seemed too late to buy one for myself too.
I just read that the calendar works on an iPad too, so I plan to buy one for my mom, sister-in-law and mother-in-law. The only question is should I buy this year’s Seaside Village or last year’s Victorian Village that had been updated for 2016?
It’s a tough decision, isn’t it? The Victorian last year was LOVELY. I’m going to do Seaside because I’ve already experienced Victorian, but…the Victorian was really good.
This seems like something I would not expect everyone to enjoy but given our household propensity to all things gaming, I expect we probably would. I clicked through and I love the English seaside. I like the idea of a non-chocolate advent (really only because I can find a quality chocolate one and am too lazy to make my own).
Yes, please! Although for my best friend and not me.
Seaside, I think, unless you happen to know if the stained glass activity is only in the Victorian one. :) <3
The seaside one sounds delightful!
I would love this, thanks!
Would love one!
I’d love to win!!!
Ah lovely! Someone gave us this perhaps three years ago, and I’ve been meaning to get it every year since but have not. Would love to win one! I think I’d prefer Victorian. Seaside doesn’t scream Christmas for me.
My kids would love this! Thank you so much for doing this.
Fun! I’m really very interested to know what the English seaside looks like. Is it…a shipping town with boats? Jane Auten-esque? What?!
I’m curious too! It says on the site: “The quirky fun of an English seaside village may not be an obvious Christmas setting … but imagine … the twinkling of fairy lights reflected on the sea, bracing walks along the sands, and warm log fires in the cosy tea shops and pubs!”
Sounds festive and fun! I’m in!
My kids and I would love this. Thank you for doing this again.
Love! While I love the Victorian, I think I’d want to shake it up a bit and go seaside.
I would love to gift my mother, a woman who sends exclusively Lawson ecards, the Victorian version. If I don’t win, I shall buy it anyways. Thanks for the lovely distraction!
Ooh, me! 😊
I’m so glad you posted this! I was trying to remember where I’d seen this, and I hadn’t gotten around to googling yet. Procrastination always pays off.
I think I would also pony up the cash if I don’t win, but if I do win, I’d like the Seaside version.
Oh, this looks lovely! I have two children who would absolutely love this… (OK, and I would like it too…)
Fun! I’d like to try the seaside!
I’d say that my kids would like this but really, *I* would like this.
Sounds like fun! I’m sure we’ll all be fighting for a turn also :)
This is so cute, I’d love the seaside one!
I live this idea. It might just rekindle a little Christmas cheer here.
I’m so glad you’re back, Swistle! I was hoping you weren’t terribly bogged down in holidays, kids, and post election funk.
Let’s take a chance on the English seaside!!
Either one! Surprises are fun :)
I would love the Seaside one! I think my 3-year-old would really enjoy doing it with me. My commuter is horribly slow, so we’d probably have to put it on my husband’s computer and share, but I’m going to research if it will work on other devices, too! Thank you for the chance to win, Swistle!
Since the dog has an impeccable track record of eating Penny’s chocolate advent calendar one week into the season, I think she would love this. Because the dog can’t eat it.
We had this 2 years ago and all loved it so much. The seaside theme would be our pick!
I think this is so fun!
Ooh! I’d like to win the Victorian one please! It looks beautiful!
The seaside sounds so lovely!
Don’t enter me, I’ve already bought one for myself! I just wanted to say that I got this last year on your recommendation and loved it so much! For a week now I have been counting down the days until Dec 1st when I can start using this year’s! (Countdown to a countdown…)
I bet my kids will love this (and I’m definitely intrigued since I recall you doing this last year!)
Ooh yay! I want to try the Victorian one.
This is awesome Swistle! Since this is all via email, I’m assuming it’s open to all? (I’m Canadian so not able to take part in the snail mail ones.) If so, pls include me for the draw. I would be happy with either setting as I’ve never used it before.
As far as I know, yes: I don’t see anything about particular countries. It just says compatible with PC, Mac, and iPad.
This sounds like so much fun! The kids would love it on the iPad. We would love the Victorian one, thanks for the chance to win!
Looks like so much fun!
What fun! As I think I said last year, my sister gave me this years ago. We loved it, and then I forgot all about it. Thank you for the reminder!
Aw, I’ll put forth my interest in this. It’s the kind of thing that would be a Little Happy Thing To Look Forward To next month.
And my vote is for Seaside. Thank you, Swistle.
My kids would love this!
I planned to enter and so I am, but now that I see it goes with iPad I will probably buy myself if I don’t win! It is the little things that make the holidays such fun. Thanks for the reminder about this again this year!
Yes oh yes! My girls and I would advent the crap out of this!
Seaside for me, please!
The Victorian one looks so pretty! Count me in as another overseas reader excited to be able to enter a contest!
Oh, I remember reading about this last year way after the fact. I know my four-year-old would love this (as would I, who am I kidding?).
The description of the Seaside one totally sold me, so I would go for that.
Thanks for doing a giveaway!
This would be lovely to win. I’ve recently realized that I’ve been in a funk for quite some time, and that I have too few things in my life to look forward to. I’m now consciously trying to create little events to change that, and this would be a nice highlight.
Like others, if I don’t win one, I’ll probably still buy one for myself :) (though I have the same hangups about giving out ever more info on the internet you do).
The Victorian one would be my pick. It looks adorable.
Oooo, fun! I forgot about this advent calendar. I missed it last year. I’m so glad you’re posting about it early so I can get it for my kids!
Ooh, this would be so awesome! Seaside would be fun and different. Thanks for the opportunity:)
Oh how fun! I’d love to have this.
This sounds so cool! I can’t decide which one I’d like better…I think probably the Victorian one, but they both look adorable!
I would love this! I’d prefer the Victorian though
Oh! I would love this!
This sounds like so much fun!
What a lovely idea! I’d love the seaside one!
If I won, I would like the seaside one. Thank you for the opportunity
Seaside. :)
Seaside!
(Waves hand eagerly in the air, trying not to elbow others nearby) I would like that! It’s so pretty! Thank you for offering it, even just to a few of us!
Seaside!
Oooh, thank you for reminding me about this! I didn’t do it last year, because I assumed that it wasn’t compatible for Macs (few things are, it seems). But I see now that it is AND there’s a iPad version. I would love to win this – I think the kids would also like it. I think we’d like the Victorian one. Thanks for offering a giveaway!
Please pick me! You are awesome for offering this…our kids would LOVE It!!
Just like everyone, my kids and my mom and I would love it.
This sounds great! I would love the Victorian one. And since it’s online, I hope I can participate from tiny little Belgium over in Europe… :-)
Its so cool of you to do things like this. Christmas is summertime for me, so seaside sounds fitting.
Oh gosh! Seaside? Victorian? How to choose?!?
Your description of seaside in the comments has piqued my curiosity… seaside it is!
Well that is delightful!! This would make the hours I am in front of my computer for work tolerable. Happy Holidays!
Sounds really fun!
I didn’t win last year so I bought my own and loved it. I’d like seaside if my luck changes this year! : )
So fun! My boys would love the Victorian one, especially since our house remodel means we aren’t decorating for Christmas this year.
My kids and I would LOVE this! I think we would prefer the Victorian one.
Ooooh, I think I want to try seaside, but am torn!!! My mom typically purchased this for us, but is currently driving a Uhaul across country so I wonder if she will remember this year! I’d actually forgotten about it. Last year was the best because I finally had a kiddo who understood the concept of a computer mouse! Ha.
So nice of you to share! I would choose the Seaside version.
The seaside one, please! Thanks for the opportunity!
Sounds fun!
Ohh both look lovely!
Seaside please and thank you, Merry Christmas!
We would love to try this! And I am sure since I have four kids there will be a lot of redecorating! Fun!
My kids and I would love this! I think I would go with the Victorian version.
Me me me me me! Victorian! If I don’t win, I might just have to go get it myself.
I would like to enter for the Victorian version, please, and thank you very much for the opportunity!
Sounds like fun to me!
We would love to try the English Seaside! Daily surprises are so much fun. You are so nice to spread good cheer to others!
Oh my girls and I would love this. We celebrate a summer beach Christmas here in NZ, so a seaside one would be lovely.
Every year I hear about this calendar, and every year I forget to purchase it before December. I’d love to win!
Ooh I think my girls would love this! Pick me :)
My girls would love this! Thanks for doing this again and reminding us all about it. :)
Oh yay thank you for the reminder! I will go ahead and get one myself, no need to enter me in the contest. But I am also so torn between the 2 versions. I am seriously considering getting both, which seems ludicrous, but here we are. Is $8 too much to spend to cheer myself up, especially during the first week away from my baby at a full time job? I do not think so. (Should I be spending time at my new full time job playing with online advent calendars? SSHHHHHHHHHH MENTAL HEALTH BLAH BLAH ETC)
Oohhh I would love this! My college dorm is pretty dreary, so even a hint of computerized Christmas would help.
I love this! I would love to win Seaside please
Is it too late to enter? I would love a chance to win Seaside!