Advent Calendars

This year we have a few Advent calendars happening.

I would love to one day own one of those lovely patchwork ones with the little pockets, but for now my homemade one for this year is a lot simpler.  I'm finally resigning myself to the fact that I'm just not very clever when it comes to the sewing machine!  :(  All projects seem to turn out to be disasters.  Maybe one day when I have more time to practice..........

Anyway, here is our homemade calendar.

A glass jar, decorated for Christmas and filled with chewy wrapped sweets.

Each day a child (they take turns) chooses a lolly, and the other one searches for the date of the day (I hide it in there just before their hand goes in!)

The number then gets stuck to the corresponding date on the cardboard Christmas tree up on our kitchen wall.  All those little gold squares are slowly turning silver!  The countdown is on, and I'm sharing in the children's excitement!

But really, I love the bit where we get to open a flap on this nativity advent calendar.

This was mine when I was a little girl, and the memories of it are strong and dear!

How are you doing the countdown to Christmas?