It’s the same question around this time every year. “Mum,” says my youngest daughter. “Have you bought the Advent calendar yet?” She’s talking about the chocolate calendar she and her sisters have had every Christmas since they were toddlers: but this year, there’s a lot more on offer than chocolate in the shops.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the less religious we as a nation become, the more hype we load around the central Christian feast days; and Christmas, of course, tops the chart. We all know it starts in October and we spend obscene amounts of money; and we all know we’ve got more than enough stuff in our lives already.

But for 2017 comes a new layer of splurge. We’re being encouraged to “treat ourselves” right through Advent, with a range of overindulgent calendars including a £250 Harrods’ beauty products item, a £125 Fortnum & Mason foodie treat, and a Jo Malone “Adscent” calendar featuring colognes and candles.

There are Prosecco and whisky calendars, containing a miniature bottle for each day of December, and Lego and Crayola calendars for the kids. There’s even a calendar packed with sex toys.

And proving you don’t have to spend lots to treat yourself, Greggs the baker is offering a calendar with a daily token for a pastry, which is what led to it having to apologise for a promotional picture which featured an image of a manger containing not the infant Jesus, but a sausage roll.