Wrapping Up DEADvent

What a haul! 

DEADvent has come and gone, and I'm so glad I did this project! It was a lot of fun to plan and it got me in the spirit in a good way. 

To be sure, my logistics had me scrambling for the first week of DEADvent, subbing in two Xmas Carol Minis on days I had nothing else proper for Day 1 and 2, and padding out for time with more gifts made up on the spot. Not having most of the items in already meant I had to be very adaptable...but a less honest re-edit of this series where I pretended this was all according to plan would look pretty seamless. The two gifts I fully improvised (Sadie's pink holiday dress and the teatime) were some of my favorites at the end of the day because they tapped into the warmth and nostalgia the holiday represents to me. I would definitely be interested in buying more material and remaking the dress more properly by sewing instead, but for a pressure gift made with glue, it worked fine.

Plus, I can't deny that I kind of love strategy challenges and logic puzzles, so there was something fun about navigating day-by-day solutions to keep the calendar moving, and I consider it a triumph to have never needed to postpone a day and leave a drawer empty. I ran the calendar like clockwork despite it all. Like the stationery goods--they were not supposed to be one day's present, so when they suddenly were, I had to think about how to stage them as gifts because Nohell was going to be the follow-the-ribbon oversize present--and then I thought of hiding the stationery behind the calendar! Nohell herself also shifted gears when I saw her awesome stocking and knew she had to be wrapped in it.

And yes, this entire process was done basically in real time, with each gift (except Resurrection Sadie and Frozen Charlotte, who were in place the whole time) loaded the night before and opened and posted on the day. I could have pre-made the calendar and pre-staged the opening posts, but I did it all within December. (Remember, this was for the benefit of my Christmas spirit, too!) I did fudge the opening of Res Sadie by doing so a day early on Christmas Eve...and that was only because I wasn't alone on Christmas morning and wouldn't have the time for it on the day itself. I also did "just got in" review photos for all of the items before putting them in the calendar. I wanted them opened, prepped and in ideal condition for the calendar opening, so I documented them in the state they came, worked with them, and then wrapped them. This preview-care approach prevented calendar-unwrapped Frozen Charlotte from looking like a mess, the Mini Sadies' skintones from looking bad, or just-unwrapped Nohell's leg from breaking on the day the calendar feature starred her. Fixing those issues beforehand made for better presentation and a better mood. The Xmas Carol Minis got photo'd and reviewed in November when I had nothing else going on so they could be prepared, but all of their calendar openings were done at their posting times, and their photo story was all in December since I needed all three small Sadies to do it.

My goal was to create an Advent calendar of gifts I could appreciate and value, so that directed some of my choices for what to put in it. There were other LDD curiosities, like a plush stylized doll of Sadie, that could work for the theme, but I didn't particularly want her.

"Creepy Cuddlers" Sadie and Eggzorcist.

There were also the small caricatured vinyl blind-box LDD figures, but I don't like that kind of toy and didn't need any of the LDD ones, and I also only would have wanted one, if I wanted one, if it was fully unopened and blind, and every offering I saw was open and ID'd. 

Some other possible items were too expensive--LDD enamel pins, or the LDD diary, were things I could use, but they didn't go for cheap enough, and the only small item I was comfortable massively overpaying for was the pencil sharpener head. I'd love to log my collection in the Sadie journal, but I have the LDD stationery for that.

While my calendar picks aimed for no duds, there are still favorites. I'm probably going to land on Frozen Charlotte being the best gift. She's coveted and something I could brag about, but she's also just very sweet, charming, and adorable despite some flaws with her aging. While Res Sadie is the final gift per the motif of the calendar and her objective higher prestige, Charlotte is the true prize for me. I also really liked working with Nohell for Christmas photography that got me into the spirit, and her janky legs fixed up better than I expected. The Xmas Carol Minis were really cute, but my favorite Mini was S1 Sadie. My least was Schooltime Sadie, who comes closest to the "dud" gift of this calendar. Some Minis make me appreciate LDD characters I can't get into as full-size dolls, but Mini Schooltime Sadie is the opposite--she's one that makes me see the full-size as the far better execution of the design.

To repack the Xmas Carol Minis set more securely, I took out the factory wires loose around their ankles and used the waist-tie holes to thread in white pipe cleaners to tie them in from the front and get them more tidy inside the box. I also poked in two new wire spots--one to tie in the tombstone I made for Sadie's dreaded happy future,  and another where I bent the pipe cleaner into a thick upward hook shape so both heads I have for the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come can display securely. He only had the skull to start with. I added the "shadow" head and I like it more, but the original head needed a safe place to be stored.

I put Nohell's stocking back in her coffin. Charlotte is staying out because I love her, winter's not done, and neither are her photos. The Christmas dolls themselves can be stored away as seasonal. Res Sadie is also staying out so I can finish her review. The Minis are going to hang around, and the stationery is staying in my room. The teacup is going where it belongs, with my other tea pieces.

The calendar probably won't get a redux next year (how could I manage 13 more days of gifts?) and I'll very likely repaint the chest for some other storage purpose, but as mentioned, I will keep the plaque on top and gloss-varnish it as a memento once I do repaint the chest. I have no pressing need to at this moment, so I'm just keeping the plaque in one of the drawers right now. 

What I wanted in 2024 was a good Christmas to make up for not being able to enjoy it last year once I got COVID. I think I more than succeeded, and had a more festive and happy holiday than I've felt for a good few years. While this can be credited to my all-around active participation in the holiday this year, I think this DEADvent project was no small part of it, allowing me to tap into holiday activities, Advent magic, and cozy imagery that have always given me great cheer. While I indulged in the aesthetic horror and irreverent Satanism of the brand, the sincerity and joy for Christmas inevitably shone through. This project helped me to feel the season in a way I hadn't in a while. It's not wrong to say Christmas isn't about the presents and toys...but they're certainly a major facet of wonder for a child, and I think they foster a lot of the cheer of the holiday! Toys bring us stories and magic and worlds where we can explore our own lives through storytelling and celebrate the things we love.

Scary Christmas, Happy Hellidays, Merry DEADvent to all. The strangest of cheers from the deadest of dolls.