DIY Holiday Advent Calendar

Happy almost December, friends! Can you believe how quickly this year is wrapping up? I know we all say the same things every year…how fast it flew by and we can’t believe it. But December always rolls around and it’s never less shocking. Or exciting!

One thing you might learn about me is that I absolutely LOVE the holidays. Birthdays. Parties. Any reason to celebrate and do all the fun themed activities! And I’m super blessed because I get to celebrate Thanksgiving, Jackson’s birthday, Christmas, and New Years all in just a little over a month. That just makes my heart beat a little faster! (Or maybe that could be the stress of so many events crammed in to such a short time 😉) Either way, I fully embrace it!

This year is the first year that Jackson is a little more aware of what’s going on. He was so excited to open his birthday presents, actually understanding that the day is a little more special than others. My heart was bursting with joy watching him very carefully decorate the Christmas tree…even if that meant only the bottom got decorated in a big cluster. Any other mommas wait for their kiddos to fall asleep and rearrange the ornaments? I know I can’t be the only one!

So this year, I decided to plan some extra special activities. I grew up with a fun little Christmas tree advent calendar. Each day, my sister and I would wake up and excitedly move the stuffed Santa to the next little pocket. And I know Jackson will love it just as much as we did. Want to learn how to make your own calendar? Keep reading!

How to Make Your Own Advent Calendar

Even better? This calendar is SO easy to make and only required 4 supplies, all of which you can find at your local craft store. For me, that’s Hobby Lobby.

Supplies

• Oversized foam board – I found mine in the framing section
• Small brown paper bags
• Clothes pins – I found ones with numbers already on them in the Christmas section, but you could use regular pins and write numbers directly on the bags, and hopefully you have prettier handwriting than me 🙃
• Hot glue

Directions

1. Open your 25 paper bags and fold the top over. Clip your clothes pin on the bag to secure it.
2. Lay your foam board on a flat surface. Place each bag with the clip on your board to decide on placement. I eyeballed mine, but you could measure if you want to be really exact.
3. With all of your bags lined up, use your hot glue gun to carefully glue each bag on the board. Meaning don’t burn all of your fingertips like me.
4. Fill your bags with treats or things to do each day.
5. You can also decorate with sprigs of greenery and flower stems. The Blooming Studio so graciously decorated mine for me.

That’s it! I told you. So easy. I hope you have an amazing month full of yummy treats and fun activities!