Sometime this summer, I started thinking about Advent and what I wanted to do for Ajax this year. I didn’t do anything last year, because I forgot. So (summer!) I was all about making sure I had a plan this year. And that’s when I remembered that my mom had made a countdown to Christmas (that’s Advent, right?!) for me and my siblings when we were little, complete with a poem (that I can still recite). Um, perfect!
Every day in December, you recite the poem and untie a Hershey kiss to eat. And then, on December 25th – Christmas! – you ring the bells! Technically you can tie any treat on the Advent calendar that you want; I just always had Hershey kisses on mine so that’s what I went with for Ajax too.
My mom’s version was shaped like a thermometer, so it was an adventure to create a tree version all from my brain! But is there really any limit to things you can do with felt and cardboard?? But I always remember it on the refrigerator, I wanted to make sure I created something that could hang on the frig as well.
DIY ADVENT CALENDAR
- Cut out a tree shape out of cardboard and then cut those cardboard pieces into three different sections.
- Use the cardboard as a pattern and cut out my red and green felt into a tree shape from it.
- Sew the green felt onto the red felt, with the cardboard in between.
- Stitch 25 ribbons to the tree – long enough to tie a bow to hold the candy
- Attach magnets to the back of the tree – I used hot glue to secure the magnets.
I’m not gonna lie, there’s all kinds of warm and fuzzies in my heart when I look at this Advent calendar. Passing on a piece of my childhood to my child just melts my heart. I love that my mom had made one for me as a kid, and maybe someone day Ajax will love that I made one for him.
Do you have an Advent calendar? Did you as a kid?
