Every year as a child my momma surprised us with chocolate advent calendars. You know the ones with waxy chocolate, but as a child you think it is just the best thing ever!? Thanx to my momma we have another new tradition to use every year :)
No, it isn't the chocolate advent calendars. I made my own that suited our family!
A Christmas Felt Advent Calendar
During Christmas we get more then enough cookies and treats from friends and family (and our bakings in the home) so I wanted to come up with something that excludes daily treats. We have troubles some days thinking of things to do as a family or those lazy days, and this year we found it energized us to do what was on the tab for the day.
I started with a felt tree, then felt ornaments and christmasy things to go on or around the tree, our little family and presents (the extra present is for our pup). The ornaments are movable via velcro on the back of each one.
Next came the background. I measured how big I wanted it to be free cut out the numbers. Then came the boxes.
At the top and bottom are bamboo sticks holding it straight.
Here comes the coolest part. Each of the pockets have a felt christmas ornament to put on the tree every day as well as an activity for our little family to do together. The 24th day has the Christmas Star. Our little cookie cannot wait to put the star on her calendar tree!
This 'I love Santa' has velcro too! It goes on the pocket of the day and moves as days go on. I purchased this from the dollar store, it came in a pack of 6.
Some examples are: skating, board games, build a fort and sleep in it, watch christmas movies, bake and ice christmas cookies for friends, build a fort and read stories in it, get in pj's make hot chocolate and drive around to see christmas lights, collect toys that we don't play with and put them in a shoe box for other children.
You can add other things like traditions your family has (ie going to cut down a christmas tree). Our little girl LOVES it! The first thing she says in the morning is "I have to go see the Christmas calendar! I wonder what fun things we get to do today!" She runs back to our bed with the note of our family activity of the day and tells us what else was in the pocket.
The chocolates are gone. This is definitely coming out again next year!
This was very inexpensive to make. I used leftover felt from various other projects for the decorations, other felt was bought at the dollar store and finally at Fabricland they had the red background fleece on sale for $5!!
Merry Christmas Friends!
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