Awesome ideas for advent calendars

Advent calendars are such a gorgeous way to make the lead up to Christmas (if you celebrate it of course) a special one for Children. I LOVE that this is also an opportunity to not make it about junk or excess gift giving festival – There’s enough ‘stuff’ they’ll get on the day, and the lead up can really be a focus on them giving or experiencing lovely things to do with friends of parents over the festive season.

A couple of years ago I invested in a really gorgeous hand stitched felt advent calendar in the post Christmas sales – I’m sure one could have made one, but I’m, erm, really just not craftily inclined! So, I bought for longevity the best I could afford, with a view to this being our family advent calendar that shall now get passed down to my son’s kids after him.

Isn’t it gorgeous?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s going to go inside? 

Lots of different things. Here’s a list of a few.

• A note that says “Make your favourite thing with Mum for dinner”
• A note that says “Read ‘It was the night before Christmas’ with Gaggie” (his grandmère)
• A hot wheels car
• A bon bon wrapped dark chocolate square
• A $5 and a note that says “Let’s go give this to Juan” – our local homeless guy.
• A pokemon card
• A note that says “Invite a friend to play after school on Friday”
• A note that has a clue where to find another clue which leads to another clue as to where to find 6 little pokemon packets – One for him, and 5 for him to put in an envelope and address it by hand himself, to send to a women and kid’s refuge nearby.
• A note that says “Make popcorn and watch the movie of your choice with mum and dad.
• A note that says “Choose and take a pressie to the Kmart wishing tree for a little person who needs a present for Christmas”.
• An organic lollipop
• A note that says “Build the nativity scene with Gaggie.”
• A note that says “Take a Christmas book and visit baby H (cousin) and read it to him!”
• A note that says “Learn a Christmas Carol with mum”.
• A note that says “Make a wooden christmas tree with Dad”.
• A note that says “Bake the Christmas dessert with Mum.”
• A note that says “Here’s $4 to secretly choose someone at the cafe and pay for their coffee”
• A note that says “Go and build a snow man at the beach” (I appreciate the climactic irony!)

…and so on. Get creative and create your own. I’m doing it tonight while he’s asleep so it’s all ready for Tuesday. Each day is a special little surprise and it’s all a bit of a warm up, or christmas themed or a couple of random treats.

I can’t wait to unveil it on Tuesday, the 1st December. I loved the lead up to Christmas when I was little and I feel I’ve not done my best the past couple of years to make it as special as it could be for my little man, so… this is it and I’m very much looking forward to it!

Here are a few ideas from the community

My low tox e course alumni group has been discussing advent. Some awesome themes emerged.

One of the parents wraps 24 Christmas themed books that they read each year to get in the mood for Christmas. – Unwrap carefully to be able to reuse the paper for the Christmas pressies!

Jackie Brauer has done a super simple printable set of sheets with ideas HERE. that you can download to save you time if you’re super busy! Thanks Jackie.

 

Jannah Sleep has enforced maximum security with closed bags each day hanging off a coat hanger – LOVE this! Why was I not born with the craft gene? 😉

Julie Chanter went to town with this ‘ first rough attempt’ !?!?!?! at an advent calendar which her kids decorated (Her words, not mine! It is flipping amazing!)

And some more I found in the hyperlinked Buzzfeed article. These ones below made me laugh… The “post modern parents who find it hard to come to terms with the glorious, crazy, colourful mess of kids” advent calendar. This so appeals to me. Clean. Simple. White. Lucky my little guy is so darn awesome! 😉

Advent Bunting set up… maybe not in boring IBM colours perhaps?

A FAVOURITE! The perfect thing to do with your old toilet rolls – Now to find 24 between now and Tuesday, right? Check it out here.

And this little matchbox pyramid is the cutest, isn’t it?

So whether you’ve got time or you don’t, there are loads of DIY options to suit in making one from scratch, or simply filling a nice one with a few notes, chockies, cards and whatever else you can think to.

Here’s to getting excited about the festive season and helping our kids see how lucky they are by teaching them to do good for others during the festive season, as well as enjoy the treats it brings for them.

Share your advent creations or ideas on instagram or twitter and hashtag #lowtoxlife or tag me @Alexx_Stuart. Can’t wait to see!

Low Tox. Happy Kids. Happy Festive season.