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christmas comes this time each year
here's our advent calendar.. wait for it.. drum roll please..
ta da! yep, it's just paper, an old school paper one with glitter. this is what we had when we were kids. no prizes, no chocolate, no playmobil trees. I've kicked around more elaborate advent ideas and would maybe like to do one of those activities a day calendars some day when the kids are bigger or I was thinking for next year of doing one of those ornament ones where you hang a new ornament on the tree each day (but then you'd have to have the tree up dec 1). but I gotta admit, I like the simplicity of this one. no frills. we were really into it when we were kids. so excited to get to open the little windows. maybe that was just the excitement of getting a turn. but even though phoebe's not yet participating oscar seems into it. seems the countdown should be exciting enough. so, good. done then. and we'll put an orange in his stocking and a block of wood under the tree and call it a day. hardly ;)
December 13, 2007 | Permalink
Comments
I caved on Dec.1st and sent my husband to Starbucks to get there little christmas tree shaped open the box get a chocolate one.
The kids really dig it. and I actually know what the date is this month. I usually don't really have a use for the whole date thing just the day of the week, heh being a Mom is cool ;-)
Posted by: Amy | Dec 13, 2007 11:03:48 PM
We had the paper ones too when we were a kid and we LOVED them.
But now of course I have the chocolate one. ;)
Posted by: Elizabeth | Dec 13, 2007 11:25:57 PM
I absolutely adore those kind of advent calendars. When I was a kid I remember seeing one and just being struck by the absolute beauty of it--what could be behind the doors? Our church started selling thema and they became a tradition in our family. Right now I have one we've been using the past 10 years because I can't find another one just right. It show a European village at Christmas and you open the doors and windows to see what everyone is doing as they prepare for Christmas. The last door shows a Nativity scene.
Oh, and as a kid, I would never, ever peek behind the doors. It would ruin the surprise.
Posted by: Donna | Dec 14, 2007 12:14:44 AM
Oh, thank you for this. We have a similar calendar. Thanks for helping me realize that just because it isn't all super crazy creative like others I've seen lately, it is still special because my kids and I like it!
Posted by: Stacie.Make.Do. | Dec 14, 2007 12:36:50 AM
"maybe that was just the excitement of getting a turn"
That's what it was all about, for me! I would get so worked up, I even had a little list of what dates I "got" so my sisters wouldn't try to sneak an extra one in there ;)
We have a paper one with chocolates in it this year, and it's a big hit. We haven't had any arguments over eating dinner for the entire month of Dec so far, hehe!! I hope to make something crafty next season, and if I do it'll have little wrapped chocolates as gifts!
Posted by: Bean | Dec 14, 2007 2:33:14 AM
We have both the fabric, gift holding calender and the paper calender and I have to say that although Bella loves getting a tiny gift every day (nothing more than a sparkle glue pen or hair clip) she loves the paper one just as much. I've never liked the chocolate ones and know that there is no way Bella would cope with the concept - too much temptation! And who needs to start every day in December with a chocolate induced tantrum? Whereas she's really in to seeing what's behind those little doors on the paper one. And I love it too. Win, win.
Posted by: manda | Dec 14, 2007 2:53:48 AM
We have these, also. I love the ones made in Germany...the pictures are gorgeous. I toy with the idea of making us a handmade calendar, too. (Hey, everyone's doing it!!!) But so far, I have resisted the peer pressure. :o)
Posted by: Martha | Dec 14, 2007 5:07:05 AM
You did a lovely job. I am in awe. ;)
Posted by: Nix | Dec 14, 2007 6:15:07 AM
Oh yes, the simple act of opening the door or putting the date on the calendar is cause for much excitement and squabbles in our house! I even had to draw the line with kids touching our calendar and have become a dictator of sorts...sheesh, I can't imagine if chocolate was involved!
Posted by: carol | Dec 14, 2007 6:57:35 AM
I LOVE THAT ADVENT CALENDAR! It looks like the one I had as a kid too (wonder where it went?). My parents also put in orange in the toe of our stockings, and I do the same for our 2 year old. :) I love traditions!
Posted by: Sarah | Dec 14, 2007 7:56:18 AM
Man, I used to hate that orange in my stocking. But worse than that were the corn cobs. And that turned into a competition too with my siblings. Who had gotten the least?
Posted by: Sequana | Dec 14, 2007 8:08:35 AM
Aww, I love paper advent calendars! We had that kind growing up, and my brothers and I were always very excited when our own turn came around.
Can you believe I haven't been able to find plain paper ones in stores around here? Everything is at least all filled with chocolate behind the windows, so that's the kind I use now. This year's calendar has pretty cruddy tasting chocolate -- if you can call it that. : P
I would prefer the paper kind. Where did you get yours? Perhaps there is a store or source I'm not aware of or one that I haven't checked. I so want a paper calendar for next year!
Posted by: alicia policia | Dec 14, 2007 9:53:19 AM
I would love to find an Advent Calendar like the one in the movie "Deck the Halls". It was made of wooden blocks, and you turned a block around for each day. It was absolutely gorgeous. This year we have the ones with chocolates in them. We got them cheap, so I just bought one for each kid (only 2) so they could each do one.
I remember taking turns with my brothers when I was little, but I was one of 5, so I didn't get to open many. We also took turns plugging in the Christmas tree every night. Now, we have an automatic timer that does that for us. Boy times have changed!
Posted by: Cindy | Dec 14, 2007 10:02:10 AM
Ohhh, I forgot to get my paper one out this year. Still buried after the move.
Posted by: Karin | Dec 14, 2007 10:03:04 AM
I love paper advent calendars too, especially if they have glitter on them. I can't understand the appeal of chocolate calendars - cheap chocolate is nowhere near as enjoyable as a little picture.
Posted by: Pamela | Dec 14, 2007 11:10:35 AM
Grandma buys the advent calendars for my girls every December, but to my disappointment, they are the ones with the chocolates. It's not that I mind them having the sweets (although they truly don't need candy at 7:00 in the morning), and it's not that I'm overly religious (although we are believers)... I had the ones with the sweet little pictures, too, sitting on my white metal window sill, and I absolutely could not wait to open the doors each morning. I remember cheating a little bit, maybe opening some a few days early. Or trying to recreate the excitement by closing them all and opening them again in January (although that never seemed quite as fun). Oh, those darn grandmas! Now to have one without chocolate would seem like a waste of time to the girls! Maybe next year I just get one for myself...
Posted by: Laura | Dec 14, 2007 1:27:51 PM
I love that the thrill comes from simply counting down the days.
Posted by: Carol | Dec 14, 2007 5:45:12 PM
I posted about our family advent calendar a couple days ago. It's very retro and made with felt. No gifts, no activities, just marking the passage of the days. A project for next Christmas?
Posted by: Wendy | Dec 15, 2007 9:38:51 PM
You are so spot-on with the paper advent calendar from the store. It's about the anticipation of Christmas. My sister and I always had the kind you have in this post... no candy, no toys... just a picture. That was enough and the thought of opening another door in the morning was enough to keep us laying awake in our beds far into the night. Much easier than knitting 24 stockings... which I thought I could pull off when I came up with the idea Nov 29. Fortunately my husband talked me out of it.
Posted by: Lori | Dec 18, 2007 11:21:44 AM
i love advent calendars. my mom made us a wooden one when i was a kid - we would fight each year over who's turn it was to hang the angel on top. i just posted the felt one i made for my nieces and nephews this year.
the pictures on this one are beautiful!
Posted by: muffintops | Dec 19, 2007 6:14:23 PM
Now I have a beach boys christmas song stuck in my head. I don't know if it was the inspiration for the title of this post, but if it wasn't, you should know it.
Posted by: La C. | Dec 20, 2007 7:51:41 PM
Word of advice from someone who did the whole fancy, homemade, embroidered tiny stocking advent calendar:
Stick with the paper one.
I can't tell you enought about how much more pressure it adds to have to sneakily gather all the goodies to put in the stockings and then actually remember to fill the next one after the boys are in bed.
More than half the time, I fall into bed exhausted only remember that I forgot to fill the following day's stocking, then have to jump back up, turn on the light, go find the goodies stashed away on a high shelf in the bathroom, drop it in the stocking, and by then I'm nearly too awake to fall asleep right away.
The rest of the time, I do forget completely and, in the morning, have to distract the boys (i.e. turn up Christmas music super loud on XM and then send them off to their rooms to get dressed) while I quickly sneak around to fill that day's stocking.
Ugh. Whatever was I thinking when I made this? At least I can take the credit when they call out, "Thank you, Christmas elves!" upon finding their treat du jour. Not to mention how handy it is to use the threat of the Christmas elves coming around and keeping an eye on them each day to see if they're being naughty or nice.
I buy a pretty, simple, German paper one like the one you picture here each year, too, and I could go on and on some more about my memories of and theories on advent calendars and what it teaches siblings about the art of sharing but, instead, I'll stop here.
Posted by: Siri | Dec 24, 2007 2:16:37 AM
Do they sell the advant calander like in the Movie Deck The Hall? I would love to buy one.
Posted by: Leo | Jan 6, 2008 7:40:23 PM
Does anyone know how I could get an advent calendar like the one from the movie 'Deck The Halls'?
Posted by: Julie | Jan 19, 2008 5:54:17 PM
