little: bits. Advent Calendar Tree

Advent calendars have been around for more than 150 years and originated in Germany as an amusing way to count down the days to Christmas. People would mark chalk lines on a door to count the days, and this charming tradition soon morphed into a calendar-style by the late 19th century.

In lieu of a regular advent calendar, where kids pop open the cardboard doors to find a sliver of chocolate inside, why not create a memorable Advent Calendar Tree? You need 24 small boxes of varying sizes, in which you can hide all manner of sweet treats and Christmassy surprises. Wrap each box festively and tie on a number. These numbers were printed on white paper, glued to card stock and cut out with a 2 inch hole punch.

Dot the tree with your sweetly wrapped gifts and watch the kids delight in opening a surprise every evening from 1 to 24 December. If you have more than one child, place the appropriate number of treats inside each box and have the kids take turns opening the presents. Plenty of practise for D-Day!

 

Photographs by Tania McCartney