One of the sure signs that Christmas is around the corner, is the arrival in stores of the Advent Calendar. Traditionally a religious concept, counting down to the arrival of Christ, today, it is, like everything festive, a commercial concept. Advent calendars today contain everything from chocolate, to mini luxury beauty products and costs of these calendars are similarly reflected.
My grinching aside (I feel a little strongly about how the advent calendar is commercialised and how many people don’t even know or care what it is about) I still wanted to get into the spirit of Christmas. It is after all, just quite literally around the corner!
I was gifted with an advent calendar by L’Occitane Malaysia, during their early Christmas tea, as a door gift, and I thought it would be nice to gift it on in return. This year, L’Occitane had 2 versions of their advent calendar – One that you see here, is the regular version, and there is another deluxe version in a larger box. I am told that they are, for the most part, sold out. But if you still want one, you may still be able to get it at some of the smaller L’Occitane stores, or in stores located out of the Klang Valley.
While I’m not personally big on having lots of little sample sized products, this is a lovely way to try different items from the brand, and in fairly generous travel sizes. And with December 1 just a few days away, I’d like one of you to have this 🙂
Here’s how you can enter for a chance to win 1 L’Occitane Advent Calendar.
Leave a comment below and tell me:-
- Will you open up every window in one go, or will you open just one a day from Dec 1 to Christmas day? AND
- Has someone done a random act of kindness for you recently, or have you done a random act of kindness for someone of your own volition?
- For a bonus entry, follow me on Instagram (@parisbmws) for the bonus question that can pop up any time.
I have a small request. If you win (or even if you don’t) consider gifting someone with a random gift or doing a little random act of kindness. It only takes one little act of kindness to bring sunshine to a person’s day.
Now, there are some basic and important things to take note:-
- There is just 1 prize.
- 1 comment per person only in this giveaway (bonus Instagram entry is additional).
- Deadline for all entries will be 12noon 1 December 2017 (+8 GMT Malaysian time) after which comments will be closed. Winners will be picked at my leisure from the comments received here, and announced on Twitter and Facebook, at the end of this post, and notified by email. There will be no separate post published.
- This one is open only to anyone having an address in MALAYSIA due to logistics. You can gift it to your friend or family in Malaysia if you like.
- If any winner named fails to respond after 48 hours, a new winner will be automatically picked so if you don’t check your email, sorry.
- The winners announced are final and no appeals or complaints will be entertained.
- If new, here are the general terms and conditions applicable to all giveaways on MWS.
My policy has been to not do giveaways due to poor experiences in the past, but I’m feeling a little less Scrooge-y and Grinch-y this year. So take advantage of this while it lasts! LOL! 😀
Have fun and good luck!
xoxo
Paris B
WINNER: ANN (Winner has been contacted by email)
Hi Paris, how are you? The word “GIVEAWAY” draws me here and I will just try my luck on this.
1. Will you open up every window in one go, or will you open just one a day from Dec 1 to Christmas day?
For me, I guess I will open all the windows in one go, just to check how can I fully utilize this calender. The small sizes products are very convenient for those who travels often. Therefore, checking them in one go might be helpful in my coming Christmas trip.
2. Has someone done a random act of kindness for you recently, or have you done a random act of kindness for someone of your own volition?
I am grateful that there are always someone who did some random kindness for me. When I went for my lunch yesterday, someone offered to help me to get the spoon while I was carrying my food. Kindness is somehow a random warm. It happens everyday and sometimes I did not even realized that. Some days after work, I guide foreigners to their destinations (as my office is nearby Bukit Bintang). Every working day, we have to wait for the forever-slow-and-delay lift. Our random kindness act is to hold the lift for as many as people to squeeze in.
They all sounds really really random but for me, they are examples of kindness act.
Merry Christmas in advance!
Hi Paris, *biigg SMILE*
1. Will you open up every window in one go, or will you open just one a day from Dec 1 to Christmas day?
I am the one who will hold the enticement and I will open 1 per day until Christmas.
Christmas is the time that I really love since my childhood. All relatives gather, family dinner, and the Christmas present. By opening 1 by 1 its somehow my way to ‘lets cherish each day’
2. Has someone done a random act of kindness for you recently, or have you done a random act of kindness for someone of your own volition?
Sometimes me and daughter need to commute using Grab/Uber, it was really heart warming when the driver and my daughter sing song together in KL traffic jam (it ease my stress).
Its simple but soothing to busy life in KL.
Stay happy, Always!
Christina
Hi PB, I’m just commenting for fun, not to enter the giveaway, so please do not include me in the giveaway. Would love to give the chance for others to enter.
1. I am one to open everything because opening advent calendars makes me feel like a little kid on xmas morning. These days, I’m more for chocolate advent calendars actually 😛
2. Random acts of kindness are always something that I believe in because truly, my life has been made easier by random acts of kindness. Most recently, I was 20 cents short for parking with my friend and a random person just decided to give us 20 cents. I mean I know that 20 cents is not much, but in that moment, it meant not running back into the mall to break a RM50 or running back to the car to rummage for spare change.
This is such a great idea for a giveaway! Thank you for sharing.
That is very generous of you. I think I wouldn’t join too because I am the type who doesn’t apply lotion on her skin so I might not be using half of the items in the advert calendar. I would prefer a gathering though.
Hello PB,
1. Will you open up every window in one go, or will you open just one a day from Dec 1 to Christmas day?
Curiosity kills so I will open all at once and figure out which one I want to use and which one can be given to my family members and friends.Afterall,life is all about give and take.Sharing is caring 🙂
2)Has someone done a random act of kindness for you recently, or have you done a random act of kindness for someone of your own volition?
Being a dental student,the amount of patients we have to face is pretty high.The amount of stress is also high especially when we have patients with bad attitude.However,most of the patients do give us the respect that we deserve.Last week a patient gave me homemade muffins which makes me feel happy and appreciated.It is not something pricey but it is so kind of her.
Thought it’s unboxing and I clicked in! Hope I’m the one who will do the unboxing of l’occotane adventure calendar then~
1. I’ll open all the windows in one go and I did!! I love the feeling of unboxing each window in one go as I get to know what I get immediately! Just can’t hold my excitement!
2. I used to travel to kl quite often and sometimes? I don’t have enough cents for parking and I was lucky to always have someone kind who gave me the balance without leaving any contact! As for myself, I’ll stop the car to let the pedestrians to cross the road especially they are kids or olds. Does this count? ?
Hi paris! Been a silent reader of your blog since my college times. And here I am trying my luck for the giveaway hehehe.
1. I like to take my excitement one day at a time. Opening each window per day lets me getting a small thrill to look forward the next day. And i like to wait for my siblings to come home from a long day at work to open together is a real treat.
2. I haven’t had any random act of kindness experience as i work from home most of the time. But I once made this beautiful lady smile from complimenting her stylish braided hair at the Etsy made local event last Saturday. Always wondered how she could keep her hairdo so sleek for such humid and rainy weather in Petaling Jaya.
I’ve followed your Instagram! Looking forward fort he bonus question!
Due to my financial situation for being self employed in Malaysia. I’d think this prize will be a great benefit to gift each day to my friends to show how much they have supported me and my career to be an illustrator.
With regards,
Ashley
A Christmas giveaway… How lovely!
1. I’m pretty sure I won’t have the patience to wait each day for a month! Maybe a few at a time, but not all at one go. Just so there’s something to look forward to… but I can’t guarantee how long I’ll last. Haha!
2. I was standing at a ticket machine with a rm20 note and no spare change, and no one one around me. When I saw 2 young ladies walk by, I jumped to ask if they could break my note for me. They took out their wallet and asked how much I needed, so I said rm2 and they immediately gave me the money without taking my rm20! I appreciated that so much.
I definitely will only open one per day and excited countdown for the coming of Christmas.
Recently I had buy some foods for my friends who is suffering during flood in penang and they are happy that I care for them.
Hope to wins this and I will share some of it with my family as their christmas gifts.
Hi Paris, I have been following your blog just quite recently, because I love reading about new product launches and reviews.
1. I would totally dive in and open up all the windows to look at all the products. And then I will put them in and pretend like I’m counting down for Christmas.
2. An act of kindness I have received is when I left my phone on the table in my collage, and one of my classmate actually followed me all the way home just to return my phone to me. Careless me! I would offer my seat to the elderly or pregnant woman when I’m taking the public transport and there was once a blind lady asked me to guild her to cross the road. It sounds cliche because they usually know how to identify based on the surface of “bumps” made for convenience of the blinds but I think not all the roads have it.
1. I’d open them according to the days – it’s fun to have something to anticipate! 😀
2. My best friend pretty much drops random acts of kindness on me whenever she feels like it (dinner treats, etc.)! On my part, I’ve handed out impromptu extra-credit marks for students to help them a little with their coursework scores (does this count?)
Hi Paris 😉
I’m one of those old school people who would definitely open a window a day, in excitement for Christmas… and also to be waking up to some sort of surprise and small joy every day.
As for random kindness, only last Friday I treated a lady to chicken rice because she forgot her purse while ordering take-away for lunch, and the random gesture was returned yesterday when a man offered to pay RM1 for my parking because I didn’t have enough small change with me.
It’s always good to see and experience these kindness. 🙂
Merry Christmas in advance! I can’t wait! 😀
The only Christmas advent calendar I remember buying (and opening whenever I remembered during December, lol) was last year, which was a cheap Pokemon chocolate thing! XD
1) That said, if I’m lucky enough to win this lovely L’Occitane one, I’ll definitely be prolonging the joy by opening 1 window a day. 😀 I’ll probably share some of the items with my friend; she loves L’Occitane products but finds them a little too pricey here in Malaysia after she came back from UK, haha~
2) My recent act of kindness was a fairly simple one: helping an elderly woman take down her carry-on luggage from the overhead cabin on a flight last week. I was seated in the aisle seat anyway, and my own bag was further away so I figured since I was already standing up, I might as well do something to help. 🙂
Not very amazing or groundbreaking, but it’s nice to do something simple many times. I guess you could say it’s the same concept as gaining happiness from opening a small window for 25 days, instead of opening all 25 windows in a single day! 😛
1. I’ll open one a day, so that I’d have something to look forward to everyday in December!
2. I’ve recently went through a bad episode of anxiety and at one point depression. I’ve received kindness from people I didn’t expect, and out of the blue. I was in the toilet, washing my face right after bawling my heart out to my boss, and someone from another office whom I do not know, put a hand on my shoulder and asked if I was okay, was I sick, and told me it’ll be okay and we can get through this. It wasn’t much, but I was touched that this stranger was kind enough to care about someone she didn’t know.
1. One a day! For a little piece of happiness everyday until Christmas. (Also I’ve never had advent calendars so.. I would want to experience the first one the way it’s meant to be).
2. Sometimes it’s the smallest things. When my friend was broke but I didn’t have enough cash on me so she offered to help me pay first. I still paid her back but that was so nice! And at the office where there are only two lifts, both on the top floors, I’d press G before I exit to move one down to the ground floor so people wouldn’t have to wait too long haha.
Happy holidays!
Hi Paris,
I actually own two Advent calendars for this year already . The Look Fantastic one and this niche Australian one (all Australian brands natural luxury products 100% cruelty free –
https://thebeautyadventcalendar.com/). So if I get this I will be gifting it to another person.
1) Will you open up every window in one go, or will you open just one a day from Dec 1 to Christmas day?
I plan to open one window per day and be all surprised and excited and ecstatic by each window!!! (*gleeful laughter*). I will savour the opening of the window and unwrapping each item and trying it out or figuring where to store it. It’s going to be a daily treat. I have already imagined that on weekdays, I will come back from work, make coffee, put up my feet, and then slowly open a window and unwrap the corresponding item. Meanwhile there will be music in the background and a lit candle. Aaaaahhhhhhh…………… I will be purring with delight. And on weekends, I will open a window after all the household errands are done (much more prosaic lah..)
2) Has someone done a random act of kindness for you recently, or have you done a random act of kindness for someone of your own volition?
The most recent significant act of kindness I received was having this person spending some time with me sharing his wisdom and experience. He’s a leader whom I had admired for his character and performance for some time. But I had never met him in real life and he certainly did not know of my existence. He’s recently retired and on a whim I emailed him asking whether I could buy him lunch. It was the equivalent of cold-calling. But he kindly consented to do so. We met up, he bought me lunch and we chatted for hours. I was so touched and deeply appreciative of his kindness.
Hi Paris B,
I would like to join your giveaway contest.
Please see my answer as below :
1. Will you open up every window in one go, or will you open just one a day from Dec 1 to Christmas day?
I will open 1 by 1 until to Christmas day. Like the old saying, “a present a day, santa clause are always there.” 🙂
AND
2. Has someone done a random act of kindness for you recently, or have you done a random act of kindness for someone of your own volition?
I was on MC for the past 2 days and my kind colleague came and visit me and bought a bottle of chinese herbal tea. This small act warm my heart that colleague do care. It doesn’t matter what kind of good act, the heart of appreciate should remain as always.
I am one of your follower inInstagram (@parisbmws).
Hi Paris,
I think this is my 1st time joining a contest on your blog even though I’ve been a long time reader hehe… Since I could share some stories, why not eh?
1. Will you open up every window in one go, or will you open just one a day from Dec 1 to Christmas day?
I think I will open up all in one go because I’m the impatient type of person and I like to figure out in advance which items I want to keep for myself and plan when to use them.
2. Has someone done a random act of kindness for you recently, or have you done a random act of kindness for someone of your own volition?
Just the other day a man who approached me when I was pumping petrol and asked for money as he claimed he didn’t have any on him and he was out of petrol. Usually I’m very wary of this kind of people as I always feel like I’m being cheated (especially those that come and disturb you while shopping or worse, while eating, by showing you a catalogue of pictures of supposed charity and pestering you to donate some money). However, he looked quite anxious and I thought I’d give him the benefit of the doubt and handed him around RM15. I’ll never know if he was telling the truth but I reasoned that there’s always a chance that he was in that predicament, and he really needed help. Besides, it was a one-off thing. I would recognize him if he were to approach me in the future 😛
As for an act of kindness I received recently… this may sound silly… my significant other went overseas for business trip and I was alone with our dog for a few weeks. Usually when we’re about to go to bed upstairs, she (our dog) will run up the stairs herself and into the room without waiting for us while we switch off the lights downstairs even when I kept telling her to wait (she knows the “wait” command). But during the time I was alone, she waited for me at the top of the stairs and didn’t enter the room while looking back to see if I’m coming. I don’t know if this is a mood thing for her but I’d like to think she was waiting for me because I’m alone and need her company haha. I just thought that was quite sweet of her and it’s amazing how animals understand us sometimes. Now that my SO is back, she returned to her usual self – no more waiting!
Good American morning, PB! I can’t enter, but I just wanted to say I’m glad you’re feeling less Scroog-y lol. That was a “haha” moment for me!
May the most kind-hearted person receive this gracious gift from our beloved PB!
Have a lovely day!
Not entering the giveaway, but wanna join in the fun answering the question… But as Margaret Cheong mentioned, a gathering is good, a free and easy hang-out type would be nice as well as with brand 😉
1) If I am 20yrs younger, i would open the calendar one by one…. But since now I’m not 20yrs younger ( i avoid using the word “older” ), i would open them up immediately the moment they landed on my lap !
2) Hmmm, I’ve recently join a neighbourhood FB page. And whenever i see a post that i have the answer, I will comment to help out. I’ve help a person looking for POS system for F&B, helped recommend a TCM doctor, helped guide another person to a courier service. This may sound like i’m just being k-poh, but to me I’m doing a good thing helping others ^_^
Countdown to Christmas giveaway
Q1 : I will just open the advent calendar one a day as December is a beautiful month and i always have a little surprise for myself each day for the month for the past 3 years.
Q2 : I am grateful that a little kindness done by my office tea lady to me that truly touched. She did noticed that i stressed up in my work recently, and yesterday after lunch, she gave me a dessert that truly brighten up my day. I truly appreciate a little kindness that she did .