Last year we got a pop up calendar at the Christian bookstore that gave the entire Nativity store w/each pop up. It was a neat way of sharing a little bit of the story of Christ's birth a little bit each day. But it was one of those one time use calendars. So now I'm in the market for a new one.
I love all the cute countdown-to-Christmas calendars, like the one w/25 boxes and you can put a piece of candy in each box. My kid would definitely love that. But everyone and their grandmother has one and I would just love something more unique.
I saw on Pinterest one where you string a line across the room or fireplace and have small decorated envelopes hanging from it, w/a little note,poem or saying inside. I love it but my 2 guys would think it lame :(
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I guess I should have thought about this sooner. Do you have a unique advent or countdown calendar I might be able to copy?
Ok, I totally love all these ideas. I'm doing the beads on a string, the paper chain, the baby socks w/clothspins, and the magnets on a magnetic board. I'm going to look up the Jesse Tree and see if its at my local Christian bookstore. I'll also check out that website...I love it! I'll be sending that to my entire family. Its such a nice thought that each day we'll all be reading the same bit about the Nativity. We are spread out like peanut butter on toast across the country/globe and this will be another small way we can "be together".
I saw the Lego advent too...since my kid loves Legos that is very tempting, now that I know who will be waiting for us at the end...
And yes, the little boxes for small candies, toys and notes, so I can be like everyone and their grandmother lol! I am going to hide a few presents around the house and put a hint in some of the boxes so my kid can find the present,like a treasure hunt, and put it under the tree until Christmas....hope that's not too mean! Jess, i would do the one from CPWM but am afraid I will eat it all before Christmas day as I love anything from there.
I am so excited now! Thanks for all the ideas.
I think World Market has those simple chocolate "open a door each day and get a piece of chocolate" advent calendars. My son (3.5) got two this year. We also have a magnetic calendar where each day my son puts a magnet to cover up the date, so today he chose to put an angel on the number 3. We also have a wire thing that has beads - so each day we move a bead to the other side. Christmas day has a bright yellow star.
We do the Jesse Tree. There is a Jesse Tree book with devotions and we have ornaments that go with each lesson. After we read, we put the ornament on the tree. But it's December 3 and we haven't started yet... we're behind but will catch up this weekend. =)
I guess I'm like everyone and their grandmother. I have a house that stands about 24 inches high....with the doors. I like it cause there's plenty of room to put candy and small toys...etc....and the 24th day one is larger for something special...I always put a note in there where I give him a hint where a larger Christmas Eve gift is....usually under his pillow!!! Lots of fun...he is 9 and still does it with excitement everyday!!!
Your two guys wouldn't think this were lame if there was a little something in there for them.
We enjoy making a Jesse Tree. Each ornament has a symbol to represent a part of the Christmas story.
We have a wooden Christmas bear calendar. You put little wooden pegs into each spot to cover the days.
We have a fabric wall hanging one with really cute tree, toys, animals and ornaments across the top. It has little pockets for each day and a little gingerbread man on a string you move from pocket to pocket each day. I use a wreath hanger on the door and hang the advent on the iniside. It becomes a major decoration and really is cute.
We have a magnet board that sticks to the fridge with little ornament magnets to cover each day. I let my grand daughter pick an ornament every morning to cover the next number.
ours is a magnet set that goes on the fridge of the manger scene - we talk about each piece as it goes up.
We have a bunch, all were gifts.
Two are wall hangings, one quilted and one felt, both are Christmas Trees. The flet one has buttons and you hang a felt ornament on a button every day. The quilted one haspockets with ornaments you hang on your real christmas tree every day (we actually have a mini tabletop tree we use). When I was littl, I had the same sort of thing, but with candy in the pockets.
We also have a wooden Noah's Ark with a tree coming out of the top. The annimals get stored inside the boat, and every day you hang an animal on the branches.
Every year, my kids sunday school class has the kids make a paper chain. On each strip of paper, they write a prayer or something they are greatfrul for. Each day, we add a loop until the chain is complete and we hang it on the tree.
what about the baby socks clothespinned on a rope/cord? It's adorable to see the miniature "stockings". I was going to do this for my daycare kids, but then decided it would detract from this activity at home.
For my sons, we always had the printed cardboard "house". Love them! We also had a Christmas tree where we had to put an angel on the tip of the branches for each day.....& then the star on top for Christmas. I piled candy around the base...for the daily gifts. Still have the tree....20+ years later!
Well I thought I'd pick up a nice advent calendar this year but my son had other plans. You see he saw a lego commercial that has a lego version of an advent calendar. So that is what we have. The neat thing is that everyday he gets a little lego mini figure gift to put together as he counts down. Apparently on the final day it will be Yoda dressed as Santa! How's that for something unique? Fortunately, I have my own more traditional advent calendar as we count down as a family.
Listen, kids like presents and candy/chocolate. Save the unique ones for when they are older. I just send a Disney themed one with chocolates behind the doors to my niece and family friends and they love it.
We had a cute felt one as kids. It had 25 numbered pockets, each pocket had a felt ornament, and each day you would pint an ornament on the felt Christmas trees. Since I am horrid at sewing, I made a different type for my family: Got a metal magnet board from IKEA ($12), used modge podge decoupage glue to paste a paper tree and calendar using scrapbook paper, and then attached cute Christmas stickers to magnet paper. There is a different "ornament" on each day of the calendar and each day one of the kiddos takes an ornament off the calendar and puts it on the magnetic tree.
Our daughter has always loved her advent calendars. We had one that is Al small books telling the story of Christmas. Each little book has a small string to hang on a tree as an ornament. We also gave her the chocolate a day, the flat paper ones..
This year a mom here on mamapedia asked about advent calendars and I ordered the Jacquie Lawson online advent Calendars for all of our families. Each day an amazing part of this story appears on our computers. Since our daughter is at college and will not be home till the 22nd. it is a perfect way for her to have an advent calendar.
http://www.jacquielawson.com/gift-shop
we have 2 advent calenders. one is a set of small boxes that make up to 3 puzzles or the numbers 1-25. the other is a felt one that i bought, with 25 pockets and a tree that moves in all the pockets. the kids love every day changing both of them and i never have to hear "how many more days till christmas."
A couple years ago, my mom purchased an advent tree that hangs on the wall (she got it at pottery barn but i've seen similar at other places). It has small pockets with numbers on it leading up to #25 for Christmas. Initially, we'd just put small things (pencils, socks, candy, etc.) in the pockets but after we had baby #2, we couldn't fit stuff in there easily (and I don't like doing candy every day). I once did a scavenger hunt for the kiddos - I left a small note in there with a clue as to where to go to find the goodies (I've done things such as Christmas plastic plates/cups, coloring books, puzzles, etc). Well that started something - my kids LOVE the scavenger hunts! Now if other kids are over when we do it, they are always asking if they can participate - it's a tradition now! so gone are the days when I could just stick a piece of candy in it and call it a day but this is so much more fun. We usually do 4-6 clues (my kids are ages 7 & 3) and sometimes we throw in an activity in the middle to get the next clue, such as singing a Christmas song while hopping on one foot, etc. just to be silly. Try it out with your kids - it's a hoot!
This year I purchased an Advent Calendar on DVD. You get a 3-5 minute mini- history on a significant saint, holiday tradition, or religious meditation for the day. It's really cool. You can find them new or used on amazon.com.
See: http://www.amazon.com/Advent-Calendar-DVD-none/dp/B000INB...
A Jesse Tree is another approach you could take:
http://www.amazon.com/Jesse-Tree-Kit-Lynn-Simms/dp/081983...
In the past we've used the box with drawers type you mentioned, the paper calandars that open a window a day, we also have used a magnetic nativity scene calendar like this on our refrigerator:
http://www.amazon.com/26-Piece-Fontanini-Nativity-Magnet-...
