Christmas Countdown Calendar

Wow… can you believe that December will be here tomorrow?! The unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having in Massachusetts makes it even harder for me to believe that the holidays are only weeks away. Reminds me of the beautiful summertime Christmases we celebrated while living down under when my husband and I were first married.

However, the holidays are indeed coming and using a paper crafted calendar is a fun way to count down the days until Christmas. The mini drawers in this calendar are just the thing for holding a small surprise.

Open the door to find out what is in the box each day.

Cut strips of paper to fit around the edges of the door and stamp with Christmas lights. A bit of Stickles glitter on each bulb adds the right amount of sparkle.

I found that using my Sticky Tape Runner was the quickest way to adhere all the paper securely.

I used a few Foam Squares to add dimension under the sticker on the front.

and tucked a charm underneath the adhesive as well

To cover each drawer, first cut the paper you have selected into 2″ squares (this project is a great way to use up scraps!)

On the calendar base I used, I found that the notch on each drawer was in a slightly different place and it was helpful to use the box as a template to know exactly where to cut.

A punch made quick work of this step.

Adding adhesive just around the edges helps the paper lay smooth and prevents it from wrinkling.

Once you have all the boxes covered, you can add numbers

and other embellishments.

If you work on each step – cutting, tracing, punching, adhering, and embellishing – in an assembly line style, this project comes together in a snap. The hard part is deciding what to put in the drawers… candy, movie or concert tickets, a small toy or puzzle, a slip of paper describing a fun activity you will do that day – bake cookies, buy the tree, etc. Any other ideas? Please let me know… especially things that older children will enjoy.

Happy “almost” December!

Alice