Our Advent Calendar has been one of our favorite traditions! I wanted to spread our celebration out over the 25 days leading up to Christmas with festive activities because December can be such a busy time of year! I think most would agree that time and experiences are a couple of the most important things we can give our children: this Advent Calendar ensures that we will take a little time out of each day to set aside the things that are making us “too busy” and focus on what is most important.

I created this calendar with: white tags, black number stickers (similar to THESE), ivory twine (to tie pipe cleaner wreaths on individual tags), jute twine to string numbers across the pin board, wooden push pins, this pinboard, my sister-in-law’s (Neon Moon Design Co.) calligraphy talent, and these activities:

1. Make a paper garland. (A countdown to Christmas Day)
2. Hot cocoa & candy canes.
3. Sledding & snow angels.
4. Sip eggnog by the fire.
5. Birch beer (or root beer) floats & watch the NFR
6. Christmas movie night.
7. Visit Santa
8. Write a letter to Santa.
9. String popcorn garland.
10. Christmas light cruise.
11. Make Santa sundaes.
12. Decorate reindeer donuts.
13. Make ornaments.
14. Pinecone scavenger hunt. (An outdoor scavenger hunt)
15. Decorate a gingerbread man.
16. Make festive ice lanterns.
17. Make paper snowflakes.
18. Christmas tree campout.
19. Santa pancakes with golden butter syrup.
20. Frost Christmas cookies.
21. Make a Christmas craft.
22. Make a gingerbread house.
23. Christmas present wrapping party.
24. Deck the stalls. (Stockings go up on horse stalls in the barn!)
25. Snowshoe Adventure. (A wintery walk.)

My sister-in-law, Etta (Neon Moon Design Co.), is a very talented calligrapher & beautifully wrote the activities on the back of each tag.

And, voila! The finished product:

We do have to make some adjustments every year (mostly weather related), but still look foward to flipping these cute little tags over every day!