Advent Calendar Arts & Crafts Activity

Christmas is looming. Everyone is getting excited. We are now less than 30 days away and as we enter December, the official countdown will then begin. There is no better way to count the days leading to Christmas than with an advent calendar. In our family, it represents a true Holidays tradition. Believe it or not, but my mom still buys me a calendar every year! A week or so ago, I was visiting my friend and, much to my surprise, she had made her own calendar! And it was super fantastic too! I thought the idea was so original, I had to borrow it off of her to share it with you guys!

According to my friend, this calendar is extremely easy to make. Not only does it bring its own blend of uniqueness and spirit to the Holidays, but it also allows you to personalize your kiddos calendars. Rather than the usual chocolate hiding behind the doors, your little ones will have the time of their life unveiling the mystery behind each number! And the possibilities are really endless in regards to what you can use to fill your calendar. Small knick-knacks from the dollar store, homemade treats, Christmas pictures or clipart found on the internet or a magazine, coins, a joke, a challenge to do for that day, short funny, encouraging or lovey-dovey notes you have written yourself, Christmas quotes,  bible verses, carol, or small excerpt from a story carol, the name of a recipe you plan on cooking with them that day, etc.

What you will need

• A large sheet of cardboard
• Kraft paper 
• Scotch tape 
• Coloured masking tape 
• 24 small yogurt containers (you can use bigger ones for the trunk), cleaned off thorougly 
• White glue 
• Wrapping paper 
• Markers, any colour 
• Items to decorate the board

How to create it

• Cover your cardboard with the Kraft paper and hold it in place with the help of Scotch tape. 
• Cover the sides of a few yogourt containers with masking tape (you can also draw designs on the taped containers if you'r like to customize them even more). 
• Hide surprises of your choice into each container. 
• Cut pieces of wrapping paper the size of the top of your yogurt containers. 
• With a marker, write numbers 1 to 24 on each of your wrapping paper pieces. 
• Glue your wrapping paper pieces over the top of your containers. 
• Glue the bottom of your containers onto your board in a Christmas tree shape. 
• Decorate the rest of your board to your liking! 

Happy Holidays!