A Homemade Advent Calendar...
So this doesn't have much to do with food, but I am gonna be a rebel and put it on my food blog anyways because I love the idea and it's super simple to make- granted, I am posting it a little late, but you could hurry and put one together and just miss the first few days of the season.... but look on the bright side, it will be ready for next year!
So, this Pottery Barn Advent Calendar (above) inspired me to make my own (mostly because I didn't want to pay $300 bucks! and because I didn't have a place to hang their contraption), but I liked the simplicity of it and thought I would make a quick, easy version of it.
I made 25 cones from craft paper by googling "paper cone templates"
Then I numbered them and punched holes in the back and strung them on a piece of twine.
So that's my version. And in each "party hat" as my daughter calls it, is a different activity or way to love and serve each other and friends, things I can do with a 2 year old to help being "others focused" during a season that can easily become "us focused". Here are some examples of what's in our days ahead:
- Bake cookies and deliver them to our neighbors.
- Buy a fun new toy and drop it off at a Local Toy Drive.
- Make play dough and deliver it to a friend. (Stay TUNED for the recipe!!!)
- Mail 2 Christmas Letters to friends.
- Make Christmas Cards for our Grammies and Papa's with construction paper & glitter.
Then there are some fun family activities and crafts as well:
- Make a Christmas ornament and hang it on the tree.
- Rent a Christmas Cartoon and pop popcorn and watch it as a family.
- Drive around a look at Christmas Lights with a special treat of your choice.
- Read Christmas Books by the fire with Daddy.
... you get the idea.... make it personal to your family and age appropriate for your kids! Just wanted to share the Christmas love.... after all it is MY favorite time of the year!!
And I just found this blog that has some other great ideas as well as a darling homemade version of a similar advent calendar.
7 comments:
UM, OK! Love this.... You amaze me. Where did you get the time for this one Jos? Much lovezzzz
-KSamp
So cute! And I love the ideas for giving. Waht a wonderful way to keep the focus on the real meaning of the Christmas season!
Thanks Patty, glad you liked it! And KSamp, I made this BEFORE the baby arrived... like 2 weeks ago... I was thinking ahead when making it, but forgot to post it! :)
two things: i was going to feel like a total loser if you were able to do this after jed was born, thank goodness you're just a smart thinker planner in advancer! two, katie sent me a link to that blog too that i kept meaning to share with you...she has this cute project of creating animals with babies hands and feet! i want to try it! check it out!!
ps i love this idea!! you guys are such a cute fam!!
Hello! I bet you had no idea that I look at your blog often!! Nicki mentioned it a very long time ago and I have ever since been checking back to get ideas! I had to write this time, since only yesterday I was at the only "craft" store within an hour of our home looking for ideas for my similar advent calendar idea. They didn't have what I wanted. Then I saw yours and had enough materials to copy you! (Of course, my stuff is never as eloquent! But, it works for my 2 and 4 year olds!) Plus, (while doing our craft) I stuck some chicken in the crock pot after I referenced one of your recipes!! SO, I feel like I have been receiving some great/easy ideas from you, but never thanked you! Or tell you how impressed I am with your creativity and organization!!! So, thank you for sharing all of your wonderful and helpful ideas! -kellie acosta
and congratulations on your beautiful family!
Much cuter than my store bought one! http://morethanmundane.wordpress.com/2010/11/26/christmas-countdown-advent-activities/
This is so cute, that after Christmas, the week leading up to school starting again. I decided, it was to late to do this for Christmas, but since my granddaughter was bored, I would have her make these for her birthday month. She was born on the 20th so making 19 of these for Grammie to stick something special in each day, will be perfect. Dollar store here I come. She had a blast, and I had fun watching her embellish her cones. So fun, and thanks for the idea.
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