Last year the Advent Calendar post was Vanilla Beige’s most read post over November and December (thank you Deepest Darkest Suburbia!). This year, I was so slow to get to it, I didn’t really believe it would happen. However, my Darling Daughter reminded me how much fun it was and how much they loved it. She even offered to help me write the tags! So with that being done for me, all I needed to do was come up with some special things for my kids to do, in the spirit of the holidays. Oh and to get some treats for them too. This is how our 2018 Advent Calendar came together… I still have a few more bits to do but there are three more days till December – you can still do it too!
First things first
I needed something to keep me organised so I quickly whipped up a planner sheet for this year (and did a blank one so I can use the same year after year). Note that it matches our new Weekly Planners so check out our FREE Advent Calendar Planner download below if you’d like to use it to be organised.
DOWNLOAD NOW: Advent Calendar Planning 2018
Don’t forget, there’s an extra page for years to come with blank days of the week. All you’ll need to do is fill in the days and get going.
Getting into the spirit
I really wanted my kids to do meaningful things this year… not just indulge in a bit of candy. But I also made it super simple for them to execute. We have a few ideas (and a free downloadable template for numbers and activities in our 2017 Advent Calendar post ). This year my Darling Daughter offered to write the numbers for me which turned out to be so easy and they turned out beautifully!
We used these pens from Pentel that we love – find them on Lazada, Amazon – or drop into Popular Bookstore, Tokyu Hands.
On the backs of all the cards, I wrote down a special thing to do each day… simple things like “thank your teachers today” or “read a book together”. Even things like “do something nice for a friend” and “text someone and tell them you love them” were added to the list. They don’t know what these activities may be so there is a bit of surprise to.
A little help from Kikki K
I then needed something to hold the treats. Last year I went all out and bought little gifts which were wonderful! Pens, stationery, keychains and fun gadgets were all eagerly accepted. This year, however, I didn’t have the time to think of it all and instead got mini packs of lollies and chocolates. I tell myself that it is also because I want them to focus on the act of Christmas spirit rather than the pressies and somehow, I think they’ll be fine with it too.
So! Treats being bought, I then needed something to put them in. Call me extravagant but Kikki K had these amazing gift bags with little ribbons all included… They were perfect and I had to have them! I totally intend to hover while the kids open these and take them back for safekeeping so that I can use them again next year. They are just so perfect! Gold foiled with “have yourself a merry little christmas” and a cute little tree, the pack of 10 came with gold glitter ribbons so I didn’t even have to worry about that either! They were $19.90 but I was lucky enough to get them at 30% off while they were on their Black Friday sales…
So now all I needed to do was tie them up with the number cards and find a good spot for our DIY Advent Calendar to live.
The perfect thing…
I just happened to have one of these oriental style ladders for decoration and it is perfect! Do I think my 4yo will constantly be tipping it over? Yes… Am I able to fit in all 24 bags? Nope! But I am totally happy to tie up the gift bags as the days pass and it looks so pretty there as well. If you don’t have a ladder, the bags can stand quite happily on a bench or table top too.
There’s still time
Folks, it’s not too late, just keep it super simple and get into the spirit of the DIY Advent Calendar in 2018. I am so glad I decided to do it again this year. If you do get to it, please do share it on social media and tag us @vanilla.beige and let us know how it all went.
Merry Christmas everyone!
I leave you with a pic of the BEST festive pavlova ever. Made by my friend Julie, this Pavlova was served at our very first Christmas gathering of the season. Happy Holidays!
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