Well, I did it!  I made us a Christmas Countdown Calendar for Advent.  We are starting on December 1st and counting down the days until Christmas.  (Yes, I know that advent starts before the 1st; I just didn’t want to begin until the month of December-plus I had to have time to actually MAKE the calendar).

So, here is our cute calendar which is still lacking the title.  I can’t find stupid brown letter stickers.  I’m still searching for anything that’s in brown…..

This calendar caused me much angst and frustration.  Let’s face it; I’m just not crafty.  The measuring, the cutting, the agonizingly awful decisions about which papers to use, coordinating the cardstock, dealing with super, super sticky scrapbook tape….It was just terrible!  The perfectionist in me came out in full force, and coupled with the exhaustion of post-Thanksgiving clean-up and birthday party planning for Tiger and Curly, I cried over this calendar.  Prince Charming even had to take it away from me for a time.  He had to rescue me more than once and he even fixed it the several times that I messed it up.  What a guy!

So, now the calendar is done!  NEVER AGAIN!  It had better last for years!

And if you’re wanting to make one of these (what is wrong with you???), I got my idea here.  But don’t use her measurements……….not all of them are correct.  Hence, much of my angst and many tears.  Just eyeball some of it, really, it’s easier.  Tell the perfectionist in you to just get over it.  Put away the ruler.  

Then I had the fun job of choosing activities for each day of our calendar and putting the little cardstock activity cards in each tin.  I kept the activities simple and doable for everyone in my crew (well, except Ladybug of course).  The last day begins a search through our house for the kids’ Christmas Eve presents which are always new jammies to snuggle in for the night.  So, I gave the first search instruction in the last tin.
Here is our Christmas Countdown: