Nativity Advent Calendar

Had been searching for something like this for my twins to enjoy at advent that could be re-used but yet still had the christian theme of Christmas there, and i loved the idea of building up a nativity scene day by day. The felt pieces are very cute but slightly flimsy, a few bits coming loose off them already and i have only just opened the packet. I hadn't recieved all my pieces but excellent staff at lakeland were only too happy to rectify this and send me new pieces to replace the couple of broken ones. Fantastic customer service and a gorgeous product.

I bought this item from the store, and examined a number of these advent calendars before selecting one with the least flaws. Many were poorly finished, with scruffy bits of thread on view, and areas where the felt was cut too short to meet up with the next section. The stars at the top were frequently misshapen. These imperfections reveal that it is a handmade product. However, the number of imperfections given the cost is not really acceptable. The bag of characters included with our calendar have bits falling off them. It's also surprising that there isn't a pocket for Christmas Day.

Just arrived today and already I am excited for the start of advent so the children can start using it. Seeing this on-line, I was unsure whether or not the pockets would actually be big enough for an additional treat but they are. I believe this is something we will look forward to getting out year after year and planning what additional treats to put in the pockets. I have given 4 stars as opposed to five as feel the product could be improved by having a wooden hanging frame (as opposed to cardboard) at the top like a tapestry. I fear this will over time weaken, and spoil it's appearance.