One of my favorite Christmas memories is of our Advent chains. My mom made my sister and I long felt chains with 24 yarn ties on it. On December 1st, she would hang our chains in the kitchen doorway. Each tie contained a piece of candy, a small gift, or a note about an activity that we would get to do. It was so exciting to see what that days treat was.
I knew I wanted to do something similar for my son, but since I don’t sew I needed to come up with a different idea. I headed to Pinterest for some inspiration and, of course, found a ton of great ideas. I decided to incorporate a couple different ideas for our Christmas Countdown Calendar.
For this project you will need:
A Cookie Sheet (I got mine at the $1 Store)
Small Tins (I got the Wilton Favor Tins at Joann’s with a 50% off coupon for $9.98)
Christmas paper
Peel and Stick magnets
Picture hook
I used my Cricut to cut 2″ circles and the numbers (1-24) out of the Christmas paper.
Next, I glued the numbers onto the circles using a glue pen.
I put the circles into the lids of each tin. I used a couple pieces of Scotch tape to secure them.
Then I attached Peel & Stick Magnets to the back of each tin.
Attach the picture hook to the back of the cookie sheet (if you plan on hanging your calendar on the wall). I used Super Glue to do this.
Lastly, I used the Cricut to create a header for the top of the cookie sheet. I used Peel & Stick magnets to attach the header, so that I could remove it for easier storage.
I filled each container with a piece of candy or a note. The notes contained special activities that we will do that day or directed my son to pick a gift from a “grab bag” I have of small things (matchbox cars, crayons, etc).
I hope that my son will be as excited about his new Advent Calendar as I was a kid. Do you have an Advent Calendar or other Christmas Countdown tradition?
Think you could use canning jar rings and lids too!
I should have thought of that. I have a bunch of those lying around. Thanks!
What a cute idea. I think I’ll try this but with baby food jars (I have a million of them) I love your blog. Thank you for the idea.
Would love to see you DIY Home Sweet home.
Jamie
http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
P.S. More the Merrier Monday end tonight so stop by and link up if you have not already.
Love the idea of using baby food jars. Thanks for stopping by!
too adorable! love the whole look of it!
Thanks so much!
This is so cute! How fun! I would love for you to link up @ my blog.
http://cookingwithkaryn.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-makes-you-say-mmmmm-4-and-bread.html
I have NEVER seen these cute little container before at Joanne’s! I am going to go tomorrow and search it out! I need to make one of these! I LOVE this advent calendar! Thanks so much for sharing this at Sassy Sites today!!
Thanks so much! You will find the tins in the wedding section at Joann’s. You get 25 in a pack. Regular price is $19.99 and they are almost never on sale, which means you CAN use a 40% or 50% off coupon on them.
OH, and how many tins do you get in one pack??