Today is December 1st, and so begins the advent countdown at our house…the celebration of each day in anticipation of Christmas.
The advent calendar was first used by German Lutherans (I knew there was a reason it appealed to me) in the 19th century. Today there are SO many types of advent calendars…the large card in which “windows” are opened to reveal an image, a collection of tin pails to fill with trinkets, and many sports and hobby themed calendars…just to name a few.
For the past few years, I have created my own advent calendar with simple supplies…
decorated paper bags and bakers twine
numbered tags and card stock
whimsical clips (found in the Target dollar bins)
glue dots and a scallop punch
While I can’t show you the contents of the bags (my girls actually read my blog, so I don’t want to spoil any surprises), here are some things I have filled the bags with in the past…lip balm, candy canes, iTunes or Starbucks gift cards, socks, bookmarks, lotion, small notepads, chocolates, movie passes, nail polish.
Once you have the items, start filling the bags and labeling them with the numbers.
It took me a few years of living in our current home before I found the perfect spot to display the bags, but I do love how they look strung across the double doors in our dining room. Not only do they look great in that location, but they are easily accessible to my girls.
Twenty-four days of advent surprises await my daughters…
Jeannelle Hart says
So nice, Beth. And clever!
Beth Rotman says
The advent is always a favorite of mine to create for my girls!