Countdown to Christmas

I am not a fan of winter but I am a huge fan of Christmas. I love the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. I love all the family time and get togethers. I love seeing faces light up as they unwrap a gift that was just perfect for them. I love decorating the tree and collecting Santa's throughout the year for my collection :)

For two years now I have been planning to make an advent calendar. Note the key word...planning!

Here is my post from last year of some amazing simple ideas one could make...yet I still didn't :(

I have purchased a couple at value village that I planned on giving a make over to but haven't gotten around to it yet and once again Dec 1st is only a couple days away! So tonight I frantically sit down to find a quick and simple but yet divine advent calendar for my girls...well I found lots...

Look at this amazing

gindgerbread type house I found HERE at Sugar*Sugar (I have a similar unit but only it's a sqaure unit I got at Value Village to make but now I am once again almost out of time to create something as magnificent as this).

I LOVE this magnetic countdown

and beautiful countdown banner

both found HERE from  katie.bee.creative.

This clothespin calendar on a board is simply sweet

I found it HERE.

and this one

is for sale on Etsy HERE but it could easily be made with matchboxes with magnets applied to the back (if one wasn't running out of time).


I love this idea

to take a decoration and decorate a small tree. You could even add a small note on each ornament as a family activity to do each day. More about it can be found HERE at Life as a Thrifter.

As you can see I found lots...with us planning to sell the house next spring and live in our RV for a couple years while we build our Earthship I think I will give up on a beautiful and baulky advent calendar and settle for something more simple... like this one

 You can find the directions for it HERE.

Now off I go to get busy!