a smile a day

The advent calendar is a fun tradition in our home.  Every morning in December, the children rush to see if there is any little surprise in the “pockets” of their calendar. Chocolate covered smiles follow.

According to Wikipedia,

“The origins of the Advent calendar come from German Lutherans who, at least as early as the beginning of the 19th century would count down the first 24 days of December physically. Often this meant simply drawing a chalk line on the door each day, beginning on December 1.”

Advent calendar using the actual windows of the German city of Hünfeld's town hall in Advent

The advent calendar is such a lovely way to anticipate the big day.  Although today, most advent calendars are made for children, I thought it would be nice to have an adult reminder too.

1)  Find a plain wreath.  2) Using heavy stock paper, fold into envelopes.
3)  Using stencils found at the dollar store, number accordingly.
 4)  Assemble favour boxes (found in the wedding section of craft stores, like Michaels).
5) Stencil numbers on labels.  6) Attach labels to ribbon, and tie all the boxes & cards to the wreath.

As I look at our advent calendar, it puts a smile on my face too...now we can enjoy our own special countdown before Christmas day.

{Attending these beautiful  parties...Domestically Speaking, Coastal Charm, Homemaker on a Dime, House of Hepworths}