Willow Tree not competitive priced.

One seller constantly breaks amazon rules and adds items to drive other sellers away. Then overcharges. Buy willow tree at lower prices outside of Amazon. Demand Amason be fair to benefit the consumers.More detail ...

everything for a good price

I was so excited to get this. We got it fast and in excellent condition. I love it!More detail ...

A nice idea as long as you don't pay full price

This is a somewhat lower quality than I expected especially considering the price tag. It's sturdy and the doors work well what bugs me is that on mine the background has bumpy spots of glue or paint or something on it. The figures are cute. I tested all the boxes. I could get the audio to work on all of them eventually but many of them I had to open and shut several times to get the light sensor to activate but that's probably to be expected with light sensing technology and I'm sure the kids won't mind.



The voice quality is acceptable as is WHAT it says - nothing questionable assuming you do believe Jesus is the Savior of the World and the real meaning of Christmas. Oh and that fire is a symbol of God's presence or something like that. I hadn't really thought of it but perhaps that's true. It does NOT tell the Christmas story as a narrative. The daily comment is more specifically about the item of the day be it a donkey the moon or Frankincense. It does say things like Mary was the mother of Jesus and Joseph received angelic revelation concerning the birth of Jesus



My kids (4 and 5) loved opening it up when we got it and I DO expect to enjoy using it next Christmas. Just wait until it goes on sale after Christmas to buy it.

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Perfect for young children; handsomely crafted

I just received this Advent calendar and was pleasantly surprised at the quality. It is very sturdily constructed; I expect that this will last for years. Some things that aren't obvious from the picture/description: The inside of each compartment is painted dark blue. The tin manger scene in the center has raised areas and the three dimensions give it a richer look than if it were flat. The nicest surprise was that each of the figures is wood and appears to be hand-painted. The magnet on each is small and embedded into the back of the figure so the figure sits flush against the tin background. The magnets are strong too so each piece securely connects to the background (no sliding down once you let go). Please note that some of the figures are small (e.g. stars) and could present a choking hazard to a very young child. I wish it were a little deeper (I measure the depth at 1 and 5/8th inches) but because of the weight and sturdiness of it it does stand securely on its own. There are two hooks at the top of the back for hanging it. All in all I am very pleased with this calendar - I know my young daughter will enjoy the excitement of opening the doors each day and slowly creating the Nativity scene. And it is beautifully crafted so I'll enjoy seeing it in our living room during the Advent season. It is well worth the cost. And incidently it arrived two days after I ordered it (and I chose the Super Saver shipping so 'didn't expect it to ship for 5 or more days).More detail ...

Great Value!

This is a well made Nativity set. The creche is really unique and the figurines are well done. I love it and so do my daughters.More detail ...

Willow Tree Nativity

Excellent service product and price. My local Hallmark store was out of what they carried which I believe was a basic 3 piece set. At an average price of about $25 to $30 per figurine this worked out to be a far better value. Lucky for me the store was out of stock and I thought to check Amazon.More detail ...

Good Batteries Bad Charger

This package (CEF14DX4N) includes four new Duracell 'Pre Charged' NiMH AA cells plus a simple charger. The batteries are similar to the Sanyo eneloop low-self-discharge cells. In fact based on their identical technical specifications and physical shapes of (+) and (-) terminals I am convinced that the Duracell Pre Charged AA is actually SANYO eneloop AA underneath a different wrapper. Therefore all the good things you heard about eneloop apply to Duracell 'Pre Charged' too.



The 'value charger' (CEF14) included here however is not a good value because:



1. It is a timer-based dumb charger meaning that it doesn't detect when cells are full charged. It simply charges at 360mA for 6 hours and turns off. You have to wait until your cells are fully exhausted before recharging otherwise they will be over-charged. With a 'smart' charger you may choose to top-off your rechargeable cells any time.



2. It can only charge either 2 or 4 AA cells in pairs. This is very inconvenient if you have appliances that require odd number of cells.



3. It can only charge two AAA cells and you cannot charge any more AA cells at the same time.



My advice is to get the CEF23DX4N package for just a few dollars more. It comes with four Duracell Pre Charged cells (2xAA + 2xAAA) but the included charger (CEF23) is far superior in every aspect. It even operates from your vehicle battery and doubles as an USB charger too.



[Update on Dec 24 2008]

I was only half-right when I boldly proclaimed that "Duracell Pre Charged AA are rebranded Sanyo eneloop cells" in my original review. It turns out that the first batch of Duracell AA cells I bought from Amazon are made in Japan and those are identical to eneloop (both mechanically and electrically). But lately I bought some more Duracell AA from a warehouse club. Those are made in China and they are identical to the Rayovac Hybrid.



[Update on Feb 15 2010]

I have confirmed that the new Duracell 'Value Charger' has several improvements over the old model:

- Works from 100-240V AC (instead of just 120V AC)

- Able to charge 4 AAA at a time (instead of just two)

- Semi-smart charge termination (stops when BOTH cells are fully charged)

The only remaining drawback is thet it charges in pairs only.More detail ...