Advent

I love the idea of the advent and in past years we've done a few different versions from Playmobil (still love it) to old-fashioned German advents. This year I decided to make our own.

I started by making 24 boxes. Small boxes from the pantry (i.e. Jello pudding, tea boxes, butter boxes, etc.) make excellent templates. Just unfold them, laying them flat, and trace onto card stock. After cutting them out and scoring, I folded them into the new blank advent boxes secured with glue.

For patterns, the kids contributed drawings of snowmen and trees and I also used illustrations and print taken from old Christmas books. I didn't let the dimensions of the box limit the size of the design, most extend past the box edges.

I filled the decorated boxes with little treasures such as shells, a nutcracker to paint, mini birds' nests, tiny wood ornaments, etc.

I placed them on the wall, held in place with removable mounting squares.

This can be a very versatile project and I'm already thinking of some different ideas for next year. I'll start planning earlier in the season though, it took me longer than expected, but I'm really pleased with the results and it was fun, too!

Comments

[Madeline]

SO cool! I did one years ago with match boxes all glued together, holding Ande's mints in each drawer, with a number on one side and part of a drawing on the other side (the boxes are turned round day by day and eventually the whole design is revealed. Your's is so much more fun and big enough for great stuff inside.