.Countdown to Christmas.

For the last few years I have been wanting to make a cool advent calendar with fun activities or events for us to do every day leading up to Christmas. I just haven't got it together in time though. The 1st December rolls around and I curse myself for leaving it too late and promise that I will have one made by the next Christmas. Still didn't happen this year.

At 9:30pm on Friday night I was thinking again about how I really wanted to have an advent calendar and decided that I would make one THAT night! It had to be finished before I went to bed so that I could work out the activities over the weekend and be ready to start on Monday morning.

So, I am a week late, but we still have three fun weeks to take part in the family Christmas Countdown!!

It was actually good that I challenged myself to get it finished in the evening because it meant that I didn't spend any money on extra supplies and had to use what I had on hand already around the house. The scrapbook paper box was dusted off and I found quick and easy instructions online to make little envelopes out of a square of paper and used bits and pieces from my scrapbooking stash to number each envelope. I really, really like the look of this advent calendar, but didn't have the time to go to that much effort or detail. I LOVE the wooden frame and all of the funky bits and pieces (how cool is the crocheted number 3?) - maybe next year ;) Then I had to decide how to hang it all together...I thought about attaching some string to the walls with blutac but had visions of the kids pulling it down, or it falling down all the time. Then Mum suggested attaching them to a canvas - cool! Instead of buying a new canvas I grabbed a painting from the garage and covered it in fabric. (Nothing permanent, just used sticky tape on the back!) Some wool strung across the canvas and attached to the sides with drawing pins and then I used paper clips to hang the envelopes off the wool! DONE!!!
Today I took a look at my diary and worked out what activities we are going to do each day, wrote them down on slips of paper and stuck on in each envelope. The good thing about this is that I wanted to do a lot of the activities already but now I am sharing them with the kids and helping them to feel the Christmas spirit and hype! I'll try and blog about some of the activities as we go along...for now, this is the list (the other good thing is that the kids don't know what is coming up next so I can change it the night before if I need to!)

Day 7: Tree up and decorated
Day 8: Make and post Christmas cards to friends
Day 9: Make snickers rocky road
Day 10: Make paper chain decorations
Day 11: Hang candy canes on tree
Day 12: Go to the Cherry Shed for a milkshake
Day 13: Go for a walk along the beach
Day 14: Dance to Christmas songs and read Christmas stories under the tree before bed
Day 15: Family games night
Day 16: Bake Christmas treats
Day 17: Wrap and deliver Christmas treats to teachers
Day 18: Have breakfast for dinner (pancakes) and make Reindeer food
Day 19: Go to church Christmas party
Day 20: Make gingerbread houses
Day 21: Watch a Christmas movie with popcorn
Day 22: Make mini lolly wreaths
Day 23: Go to the Hawley Beach Shop after dinner for an icecream
Day 24: Open one present each early (Mum and Dad choose which one)
Day 25: Christmas!!! Have a FUN day!

SUPPLIES:
Envelope instructions from here
Envelopes made from various scrapbook papers (mostly Basic Grey) cut into 6" squares
Envelopes decorated with various scrapbook supplies from "the stash"
Canvas covered with Prints Charming fabric - Starburst in Charatruese
Scrap wool, draw pins and paperclips