The countdown belongs to the children. Adults get the shopping, the logistics and everyone else’s plans, and by the middle of December there has not been a single evening that belonged to the two of you.

The Couples Advent Date Box puts twelve of them back. Twelve sealed envelopes, each holding a festive date idea, opened across December rather than every morning.

Why twelve and not twenty four

Because December is already full. A date every day sounds appealing in October and feels like an obligation by the ninth. Twelve works out at roughly one every second or third day, which is enough to feel like a run-up to Christmas without becoming another thing on the list.

It also means a late start costs you nothing. None of the cards are dated, so open two in a week if you have missed a few days.

Green for in, red for out

The envelopes are colour coded, so you can pick one that suits the evening you have actually got rather than the one you hoped for.

• Seven green envelopes. Nights in, with nothing to book and nowhere to be. One of them is simply this: close the curtains, shut the world out and eat by candlelight, and order a takeaway if the week has already taken enough out of you.
• Five red envelopes. Days and nights out, for the weekends and the evenings you can plan around. One sends you off around the neighbourhood, on foot or in the car, to find the best Christmas lights on the street and work out whether yours could be better.

Glance at the colour, open that one, leave the rest sealed.

Not another chocolate calendar

Most advent calendars are twenty four small things to eat. This is twelve things to do, which is why it works between two people who already own plenty. Nothing has been finished off by the second week, and by Christmas Eve you have a run of evenings you actually spent together instead of an empty cardboard tray.

The box outlasts December

The cards arrive in a 20cm square memory box with your names on the lid. Once the dates are done it holds the things that usually end up in a drawer: Christmas cards, photographs, the ticket stubs from the dates you did. Bring it out again next year.

Choosing yours

Two choices, both made with the colour swatches on this page.

• Box colour. White or black
• Print colour. Silver foil, or red and green in a gloss finish

Your names go on the lid, up to 30 characters including spaces and the ampersand. Each box is made to order and printed exactly as you enter it, so please check the spelling before you order.

Getting it here for the 1st

Order by 25 November and free UK delivery will have it with you in time for the start of advent. Free delivery goes by Royal Mail Tracked 48, usually two to three working days, and the dated estimate by the Add to basket button shows the expected date for your order. After that, express delivery at checkout is the safer choice.

Everything ships in plain packaging, so if it is going to an address you share, nothing on the doorstep gives it away.

Environment

We aim to produce gifts that are 100% recyclable, and we encourage all those enjoying opening envelopes to recycle them after they’ve completed their activities.

Our boxes are 100% recyclable, and are constructed from ‘greyboard’ which is made from a mix of recycled and waste paper. The outer wrap paper is also recyclable.

Where possible, the paper we use for our card and envelopes is sourced from FSC-certified suppliers.

Shipping Information

We wish we could hand deliver every order placed with us. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible – so we have to rely on the postman.

Most items ship for free in the UK. Where free delivery applies, it is clearly shown in the product information, so you will know before you order.

Free UK delivery is sent via Royal Mail Tracked 48 to mainland UK addresses. These are usually delivered within 2-3 working days, but this is not guaranteed.

We offer an upgrade to Tracked 24 (next working day) or express, which is sent via Royal Mail Special Delivery.

You can choose to have your order delivered to your own address, sent directly to the recipient, or delivered to a Royal Mail parcel locker or collection point convenient for you. Please note the lockers will hold the order for 3 days, and returned orders will be subject to an additional charge to resend.

We also offer free international shipping on orders over £60 to most countries. Our international orders are sent via Royal Mail International, and tracked depending on the destination.

Tracking is provided on all orders once dispatched and will be shown in your dispatch email.

We aim to send your order within 1 working day of receiving your payment. Orders received before 12pm UK time will be shipped the same day (excluding weekends and bank holidays).

*Shipping will be calculated at checkout, and any delivery costs required will be added at this point.