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 The origins of the Advent calendar come from German
Lutherans who as early as the beginning of the 19th century would count down
the 24 days of Advent physically. Often this meant drawing a chalk line on the
front ach day, beginning on December 1. Some communities or religious groups
have even more solemn ways of marking the days, such as lighting a candle or
hanging a little religious picture on the wall each day.
The popularity
of advent calendars in the United States can be credited in part to a newspaper
article that showed President Eisenhower with his grandchildren enjoying their
family’s traditional advent calendar in the White House. Advent calendars
have expanded from the simple paper pieces to more involved fabric and felt
wall hangings as well as larger wooden advent calendars that are free standing.
These wooden calendars have small compartments where you can place candy,
ornaments, or a small gift for each day leading up to Christmas.
Enjoy
trying some of these ideas with your family to countdown to the holiday and
have fun doing it together.
Felt Bags
Sew or hot glue felt
squares into “bags” leaving the top open. Decorate with colorful
buttons, left over felt and ribbons or supplies from your local craft store.
Place a treat in each one and tie with a coordinating ribbon. These adorable
bags can be hung on bedposts, door knobs, cupboard pulls … any where
little elves will delight in finding them.
Kid’s
Projects
Involve the kids in making an advent calendar. Simple ideas are
the best. Take ordinary white envelopes of any shape and size and number each
from 1-24. Let the kids decorate each one with paints, crayons or stickers.
Slip a little treat into each envelope, be sure to include gift certificates
for an “extra story” or “dessert before dinner tonight”
kinds of treats.
Shadow Box
Many
craft stores and even hardware stores sell shadow box frames made from pine.
Many of these have exactly 24 cubbies and are ideal for advent calendars. Use
paints and decals to decorate each section and then place a wrapped treat into
each one.
Repurpose Jars
Start saving little jars (like our
mini jam jars shown here) and use them for a fun decorative advent calendar.
Line each one with tissue paper or colored strips of construction paper. Write
the numbers 1-24 with a metallic pen and tie a ribbon bow around each jar. Hide
little treats in each one! |
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