Christmas is a-coming - Anticipate with your Advent Calendar

The word “advent” points to the anticipation of arrival. Advent calendars are designed for anticipating the arrival of Christmas Day, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Traditionally, the four Sundays before Christmas are celebrated and symbolize hope, peace, joy, and love. In this example, the dates are visible and a Christmas wreath acts as “counter” to mark progress from day to day. To make it more interesting for little ones, bring forth a new counter every day.

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• Wooden board
• Dowel rod (8 mm diameter)
• Drill with 8 mm drill bit
• Paint & paint brush
• Christmas embellishments: stickers, wood cut-outs, jingle bells, etc
• Numbers 1 - 25
• Christmas decorations as counters: small wreath, bauble, chocolate, etc
• Cold glue

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Step 1
I cut a triangle shape with a mitre saw, for the top of my board, and used a builder's hook to measure it.

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Step 2
Measure out the placement for the pegs: 25 in total, and mark with a pencil. I had 5 rows with 5 numbers each. Be sure to leave enough space for the Christmas embellishment(s) that will be your counter(s). Mine measured 6 cm in between horizontal, and 8 cm in between vertical rows.

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Step 3
Drill the holes for the pegs but be careful not to drill all the way through.

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Step 4
Measure the length of the pegs according to the depth of your holes and the size of the counter you will use. Cut 25 pegs. Insert the pegs. Glue them in place if necessary (mine had a tight fit, so no glue was needed).

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Step 5
Optional: Paint 2 layers of the colour of your choice, or only varnish. Let dry completely.
Glue the numbers 1 to 25 beneath each peg. You can also paint the numbers or use stickers instead. Decorate the top half of your calendar with Christmas embellishments.

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Step 6
If you want to hang your advent calendar, add hooks and copper wire to the back.

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RESULT

Ready to count down to Christmas!

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Lindie is married to John Loock. She lives in Swakopmund and has three children.
She enjoys crafting and exercising in her spare time.


Lindie Loock