Playmobil Advent Calendars

A Bit of Fun Every Day

• What: Playmobil Advent Calendars
• When: Four to ten years
• Why: Countdown to Christmas, avoid chocolate and candy
• Where: Amazon

If you also hate stepping on little Legos but don’t want to feed your kids candy every day during December, Playmobil makes some awesome Advent calendars. We’ve gotten a few over the years when their themes line up too perfectly with our kids’ obsessions to resist, and we still have the sets years later.

Unlike the Lego calendars, where all the parts in end up in the giant pile of Lego pieces never to be seen again, the Playmobil sets can be easily contained and enjoyed over and over again. Even if you dump all the Playmobil sets into one bin, since the pieces don’t require as much assembly, kids can enjoy them in multiple settings. Plus, each piece fits inside an Advent calendar, so you know they will store more easily than some sets.

Like all Advent calendars, the Playmobil versions come with 24 doors that open to reveal a toy for each day of the countdown to Christmas. The biggest toy typically waits behind the last door. Unlike the Playmobil 123 Advent Calendar, these sets work best for kids ages four and up, as they do contain little pieces. Each set also comes with a cardboard mat for setting the scene, which can fold up flat when not in use.

You can get the sets in a variety of themes. Options for this season  from Amazon include Santa’s Workshop, Royal Ice Skating Trip, Horse Farm, Jewel Thief Police Operation, Christmas Post Office, and NHL Road to The Cup, though you can sometimes find sets from previous years online, too.