One of the first signs that Christmas is on the way is the apperance of the big tubs of family chocolates piled high at the supermarket - often before Halloween.
And though we may bemoan the size of the tubs, which seems to have shrunk from the massive tins of childhood memories, chocolates on the sofa and a Christmas movie or two on the telly is still a festive tradition for many families.
But which chocolate selection gives you the most bang for your buck, and which has the best selection?
Go here for more what's on updates, news and reviews from around the North East
The consumer champions at Which? have looked at four of the most popular Christmas chocolate boxes – Celebrations, Heroes, Quality Street and Roses – to see what they offer.
And while everyone has their own favourites from every tub, the findings show there's rarely an even spread of varieties.
In the name of research, the testers at Which selflessly bought three 600g-650g tubs of each of the four brands of chocolates, then counted all the flavours to come up with the average amount of each type in a tub.
Which? also investigated which size tub offered the best value for money.
And the news is you’ll likely be left disappointed if you’re a fan of Quality Street’s Green Triangles or Celebration’s Galaxy Caramels.
But you'll be jumping for joy if you are the one person in each family that hankers after fudge and toffee sweets, as a box of Heroes offers a bumper amount of each.
Here we take each variety and look at the price for the smallest and biggest box at Tesco, as well as what exactly you get for your money in the best-value 600/650g tub.
Celebrations (Mars)
240g £3 (£1.25/100g)
650g £4 (62p/100g)
What’s in the box?
An average of 12 Snickers and 12 Milky Ways, which is generous considering on average there are half the number of Galaxy Caramels and Galaxy bars.
Fans of Maltesers Teasers and Bounties will be pacified with a middling count of eight, and you won’t be disappointed if you like Mars bars.
But of all the chocolate boxes, Celebrations has the least variety, containing only eight different types of chocolate.
Total number of chocolates per box: 70
Average price per chocolate: 5.7p
Heroes (Cadbury)
290g £3 (£1.04/100g)
600g £4 (67p/100g)
What’s in the box?
Fudge and toffee addicts will be overjoyed with a tub of Heroes averaging at nine Eclairs and nine Fudges.
Double Deckers and Creme Eggs come in second at eight each in a tub.
But you’ll be let down if you like plain Cadburys chocolate as there’s a measly five Twirls and five Wispas.
Total number of chocolates per box: 65
Average price per chocolate: 6.1p
Quality Street (Nestle)
240g £3 (£1.30/100g)
650g £4 (62p/100g)
What’s in the box?
Green Triangle lovers and Orange Chocolate Crunchie fans will be upset with a paltry four of each in the average tub.
That’s less than half of the most included chocolate, the Fudge.
However, caramels, toffees and fruit cremes are also included in abundance.
It’s worth noting Quality Street also has the most variety in its tub, with 11 different types of chocolate.
Total number of chocolates per box: 67
Average price per chocolate: 5.9p
Roses (Cadbury)
290g £3 (£1.04/100g)
600g £4 (67p/100g)
What’s in the box?
Devotees of fudge and truffles will be disappointed with an average tub of Roses.
You’ll only get four of each in a tub which is less than half the number of Dairy Milks.
It’s great news for caramel and fruit creme lovers though, as they come second after Dairy Milk, at about eight of each in a tub.
Total number of chocolates per box: 61
Average price per chocolate: 6.5p
The figures above show there is very little to choose between the tubs, either in quantity per box or unit price per chocolate.
On average, if you are just going purely for the most chocolates for your money, Celebrations wins, with 70 chocolates. nine more than the Roses tub.
Celebrations also wins on the average price per chocolate, at 5.7p, but of course, this is only relevant if you like all of the flavours in the tub.
In other words, the best way to decide is simply which ones you like the best.
