Advent Calendar

As a child, I grew up peeling back cardboard pockets to reveal chocolate or candy on each day of Advent. Grandma always sent us a calendar to ensure as children, we were getting the most fun out of our Christmas as possible. Even though I have sweet, fond memories of childhood Christmases, as an adult, I've dreamed of having a calendar that has more meaning, relationship and tradition. The idea of making my own Advent calendar seemed fitting.

Now that I'm hooked on Pinterest, there were so many ideas to take and make my own. Eventually I settled on clothes hooks and paper cards. I found myself a wooden plaque, used a little rubber cement to decorate and ended up with twenty-five ideas for our Advent season. The paper cards started out much larger, but ended up in a smaller size, due to the crowded nature of the plaque.

To me, Advent is so much more than gifts, holiday concerts and twinkling lights (although, those are a special treat during this time of year), so I was sure to include hot cocoa evenings with friends, big breakfasts with loved ones and opportunities to donate time or goods to those in need. As Lucas grows, we'll tweak our activities to ensure he's getting the most out of this Christmas season.

I'll admit... I'm not super thrilled how this turned out... but it's a start, right? Do you have an Advent calendar? What does it look like? What traditions does your family have during the Advent Season?