DIY Advent Calendar

Ah Christmas. That wonderful, magical time of year when arseholes act like they’re the only ones who need to shop and punks think it’s a really good time of year to work through their parking lot rage issues.

I like to spread that joy out as long as I can. Within reason. Putting up your decorations in November is pushing it. Starting in October is just ridiculous. You’re going to be over it by December 25, you weirdos.

Let’s be clear – you put your decorations up on December 1. It’s the law. And what better way to start than with an advent calendar? It’s such a fun way to ramp up the excitement.

Last year I did a photographic advent calendar which involved dressing up my poor baby in increasingly ridiculous outfits. I totally exploited the fact that he couldn’t move. Sucker!

If you’ve been on to Pinterest lately, you may’ve seen some extraordinary DIY advent calendars. Pinterest does not approve of the chocolate ones you can buy at Coles. You must make your own.

It’s very hip to do an advent calendar which includes fun family activities like “make hot chocolate and share your favourite stories about a christmas” and “build a snowman that looks like daddy” etc etc gag etc.

I like the idea of activities. But it sounds like a lot of work for me…. And with a toddler who is almost 18 months old, I really can’t see him getting excited about “singing Christmas carols for the neighbours.”

So, for my first Pinterest challenge, I wanted to do an advent calendar that everyone could do, and that kids would actually like.

I found these ones and thought they looked pretty manageable.

First things first: Thud is not getting 24 days of chocolate. I honestly don’t even want to see how he’d react to chocolate. He certainly doesn’t need any extra energy…

So I decided he’d have to get little prizes. I headed to the Reject Shop and stocked up on some junk.

I bought some cheap Christmas decorations that we could hang on the tree together. I found some fun twisty straws he can use on Christmas Day. He loves bubbles, so I grabbed a pack of them. Did you know The Reject Shop also sells Matchbox Cars? Threw in three of those. Some silly slinky things, a pack of stickers, and a couple of $2 books made up the rest. The final present was a pair of Christmas jammies for him to wear on Christmas Eve. The Christmas PJs are a tradition in our family. Because you have to look your best for Santa.

I grabbed some little paper bags to throw the stuff in. I wasn’t wrapping 24 presents, thanks very much. I only had to wrap three because they were too big for the bags.

The total cost of the loot was $32 and the PJs were $12. The paper bags were about $3 from Coles. So yeah, it’s more expensive than chocolate, so if your kids are of the chocolate eating stage, you could totally just do lollies.

Next step was a big ol’ stick. Found for FREE at the park behind my house. Thank you old Gum tree. The branch you dropped has gone to a loving home.

The most difficult part of the whole process was hanging the branch, which was pretty heavy. So, I left that to the husband. Mainly because he breaks out in a cold sweat when I get too close to the power tools. TRUST IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF A MARRIAGE DARLING!!!

So, hung it up, tied on the prizes and voila! Rustic, Australiana style advent calendar. TOO EASY. On a scale of Chimp to Martha Stewart… A chimp could do it.

First published November 28, 2014