Advent Calendar Roundup

I love Advent calendars. I don’t know what it is about them but at this time of year, I am drawn to Advent calendar projects much like in October, I’m drawn to candy corn projects. The funny thing is that I don’t ever remember being given an Advent calendar myself – and my dad’s side of the family is German! Maybe that’s why from the time my daughter was little, I started doing the calendars with her…..just like as soon as she was old enough I bought her an Easy Bake oven to try to appease the bitterness I felt because Santa never ever brought me one no matter how many times I asked for it!

Flickr, A Forest Frolic

I buy my daughter one of those Advent calendars you see everywhere every year– the ones that have a little chocolate behind each door but in the past I have also made her some using a variety of things such as mini stockings, matchboxes, and toilet paper tubes (you were waiting for that, weren’t you?). My favourite Advent “calendar” kind of tradition, though, was our Advent books. Being a teacher and the two of us being book addicts, my daughter and I collected many many Christmas storybooks very quickly. I would wrap each one up (usually in newspaper, tied with bright red curling ribbon) and place them in a basket and every day from Dec. 1st to Jan. 6th we would open one and read it as our bedtime story. Most years, there would be a new book in amongst all the old favourites. If I wanted certain books for certain days (we read Twas the Night Before Christmas and a book about the Nativity story every Christmas Eve for example and the story of Babushka every Epiphany Eve) then I would number the packages.

Links to some fabulous Advent calendars you can make (you still have time!):

Cliff and Andrea have done it again with two amazing ideas for Advent wreaths on Hand Make My Day: Andrea made a light up Christmas tree – http://handmakemyday.com/2011/11/28/advent-calendar-christmas-tree-decoration/ and Cliff made a chevron design – http://handmakemyday.com/2011/11/25/easy-chevron-pattern-jewelry-box-advent-calendar/

Santa’s beard calendar: http://laclassedellamaestravalentina.blogspot.com/2011/10/calendario-dellavvento-2.html

Advent calendar roundups from Skip to my Lou: http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/11/25/counting-down-to-christmas-advent-calendars/

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/11/27/made-by-you-monday-wrap-up-6/

A roundup of ideas from Modern Parents Messy Kids: http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2011/11/its-almost-december-do-you-have-advent.html#more

Roundup from the CSI Project: http://thecsiproject.com/2011/11/26/7434/

Snowflake countdown calendar: http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/11/26/snowflake-countdown-calendar-guest-post/

An Advent calendar to teach the true story of Christmas: http://howsweeteritis.blogspot.com/2011/11/advent-calendar-teach-true-story-of.html

A free printable Advent calendar from Living Locurto: http://www.livinglocurto.com/2010/12/free-printable-christmas-advent-calendar/

Dry erase countdown calendar: http://shakentogether.blogspot.com/2011/11/create-this-friday-beribboned-trees.html

A great roundup from one of my favourite bloggers, Gingerbread Snowflakes: http://gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/449