Christmas is going to be here before we know it. And what comes before Christmas is the first of December!? We are so close to the full blown Christmas season. I like to do Christmas countdowns. I love the fun and excitement of them. However, I am also more busy than I have ever been in my life. So I have been struggling with what I wanted to do. I knew I needed a Christmas countdown idea that is simple and fun.
I usually buy an advent calendar every other year. Last year I bought the Little People Advent Calendar, but on the off years that I don't buy I like to make one and personalize it a bit. I honestly have been thinking about this for months and have come up with some great ideas. However, most of them were pretty grand and needed a lot of time to put them together.
That is when I came up with this idea. It is so simple that I feel like I am cheating. However, it will not lack the excitement factor. The girls will get to open something every day and the best part is I have made it so there are 4 different type of things they will be opening.
- Activities
- Crafts
- Toys, books, jewelry, or games
- Candy
I am going to share with you how I put this together. Again, it is so simple you might blink and it will be over. Then I will share with you the items that I included in the countdown, but again you can customize everything to fit your child's likes and interests.
I was provided product from Oriental Trading in exchange for a blog post. No other type of compensation was received. All opinions are my own.
Are you ready for the steps?
- Gather all your items together. You will need 24 items. If you are doing "activities" like I decided to do then print the activites off on pieces of paper and include them in the 24. Most of my items are from Oriental Trading. They have a one stop shop for Christmas items that are PERFECT for advent calendars. Also, at this time decide the order you want the "presents" to come. I liked to spread my 4 different types of things up. That way they don't get 6 candies in a row.
- Collect all items needed to wrap presents. (You might want to add little envelopes as well-for the "activities" to go in) I am talking tape, scissors, envelopes (if wanting to use them) and wrapping paper. I do want to add that if you want to use stickers or something like that to label each gift with a number then gather those as well. You could easily write a number on each package. OR I made some printables that you can print and cut out if you would like.
- Wrap all the "presents".
- I attached the numbers as I went so I wouldn't get confused as to what "present" was wrapped up. I actually made the list of all the items and then decided what order I wanted them in before I started wrapping as well.
- I knew I wanted these displayed in my home and I love this ladder that I use for so many different things. However, if you don't have a ladder you could put them in a decorative box. You could also set them out on the table every morning. If you have an Elf on the Shelf you could have her/him bring the surprise each day. You could also put it in the slots of an over the door shoe organizer. There are so many ways to present this. If you are tying them to something (like the ladder idea) then you will also need bakers twine or jute or something to tie the surprises to the ladder. Then start assembling it.
- If you are displaying it in a box then put them all in the box/bin/container of your choosing. If you are having your elf bring them then just make sure they are put somewhere where the curious eyes of the kids don't see them and decide to open each of them all right away.
Then you are done! My girls are so excited to start this. Just remember that the spirit of the season is giving and love. So don't make it harder than it needs to be. If you have more time another year then do something a little more intense. However, doing a countdown doesn't have to be hard and you can have a lot of fun and make memories by doing it with your kids (family).
Now I will share with you the items that I wrapped. I will also share it with you in the order that I used.
- Sucker (got all of these at Oriental Trading)
- Breakfast with Santa (activity)
- Color your own gift bags (got at Oriental Trading)
- Bell necklace (got at Oriental Trading)
- Sucker
- Book from the dollar store
- Cocoa ornament craft (got at Oriental Trading)
- Sucker
- Photo ornament (got at Oriental Trading)
- Snow measuring craft (got at Oriental Trading)
- Sucker
- Gingerbread sticker scene (got at Oriental Trading)
- Book from the dollar store
- Sucker
- Matthews Christmas party (activity)
- Barn Christmas party (activity)
- Sucker
- The Great Christmas Adventure (activity)
- Build a snowman game (got at Oriental Trading)
- Make a gingerbread village (activity)
- Nativity nesting dolls (got at Oriental Trading)
- Nativity bracelet craft (got at Oriental Trading)
- Anderson Christmas party (activity)
- Nativity sticker scene (got at Oriental Trading)
5 comments:
I love this idea and have been a little overwhelmed with all the things you can do. I think I am going to try this! So simple and fun. Looks like Oriental Trading has some great stuff. The only thing is everything comes with like 12-24 of the activity. What do you do with all the extra?
Hey Alex! I was actually going to post about that and forgot! So thanks for this question. I will answer you now, but then I will add it to the post as well.
I got a total of 11 things from Oriental Trading. One of them being a package of 12 suckers. So I used all of those just over different days. Then there was a game and nativity nesting dolls that only had one item in them.
I ordered some ornaments that came with 3 different kinds of ornaments so I gave each of my girls one of each of those to make. So I used up half of those that way.
Then I also got color your own gift bags that we will give away with presents inside this year.
I also got a pack of clear photo ornaments that I plan on using for a family tradition we do for one side of my family and then also filling them with photos for our own tree.
So that only left me with 5 things that I had a lot of them left over. I am using those things as gifts for my girls' friends and neighbor gifts. I am actually doing the 12 days of Christmas for 3 of my girls' friends and I am using some of the leftovers for that!
What a darling idea! I love the tags!!! I love advent calendars that have things to unwrap. Seeing the different shapes and guessing what might be in them makes it even more fun!
Christmas is a special occasion for everyone, and the best way to mark it is through Christmas Countdown Ideas that are simple & fun. Unlike many other ways of celebrating this wonderful occasion, the process of making a Christmas countdown list can be extremely fun. With this particular type of list, you can add in all the appropriate items one item at a time. The main objective is to end up with something that everyone will enjoy looking at, especially when it includes a list of what Christmas gifts have been received.
"Christmas" is an annual religious and cultural celebration commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed on December 25th in many parts of the world. It is a time marked by festive decorations, gift-giving, family gatherings, and the exchange of goodwill. Christmas is widely celebrated, both as a religious holiday and a secular occasion, fostering a spirit of joy, generosity, and togetherness.
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