Busy Mom’s Advent Calendar: Quick, Beautiful, and Easy DIY Ideas
Busy Mom’s Advent Calendar: Quick, Beautiful, and Easy DIY Ideas
December is one of the most anticipated and magical months of the year. It’s also the busiest. As a busy mom, you want to fill your home with the spirit of the holidays, coziness, and creativity from the very first days of December by creating an advent calendar! But how can you delight your children without draining your energy and time? We’ve got you covered.
The History of the Advent Calendar
The first advent calendar was invented in the 19th century by a very resourceful mother. Her child asked the same question every day: “When will Christmas come?” The respected woman grew tired of answering and created a calendar with windows. The number of windows corresponded to the number of days before the holiday. She asked her son to open one window each day and count down the days until Christmas. In each window, the child found a cookie.
The idea was so good that it spread throughout Europe. This unusual way of waiting for the holiday has only recently come to us. Our advent calendars are dedicated to the New Year rather than Christmas. They sometimes come without chocolate but with tasks, and they don’t contain religious texts like most European calendars. However, they still bring that special festive atmosphere.
The Purpose of an Advent Calendar
Children over 3 years old will enjoy waiting for the holiday, not just by eating treats, but by fully preparing for the New Year by completing one task from the calendar each day. If you decide to create an advent calendar yourself, knowing your child and your capabilities, you can come up with suitable fun activities.
There are evenings after a tough workday when you don’t feel like setting up a shadow theater at home or building an igloo in the yard. However, writing a letter to Santa Claus or baking cookies with your child is always a good idea. In this case, you are creating your own organizer of holiday activities.
Quick Ideas for Creating an Advent Calendar
An advent calendar doesn’t have to look like a traditional calendar, and you don’t need to spend a lot of time cutting out windows. You can quickly make an advent calendar from materials you have on hand. Your child will be thrilled regardless.
- Advent with Envelopes: It’s much more atmospheric if the child receives tasks by taking an envelope or paper bag with a specified number each day.
- Chalkboard Advent: One of the simplest methods is to draw an advent calendar on a chalkboard.
- Box Advent: If you have space in your apartment, you can make an advent calendar out of boxes. You can even pre-pack everything needed to complete the task in the boxes. For example, if you plan to sew a toy with your child on December 21st, pack the threads, needles, scissors, and glue. When the time comes, you won’t have to search for anything.
- Small Boxes: For small apartments, instead of boxes, you can use small jewelry boxes or matchboxes in which the child will find something useful or tasty.
- Decorated Cups: You can decorate disposable cups and hang them on the wall.
- Socks and Mittens: If your child has outgrown their socks and mittens, you can use them for the advent calendar.
- Small Bags: Santa Claus brings gifts in a bag, so small bags are a great element for the New Year’s Eve period.
- Sweet Advent: If you don’t have time to make an advent calendar and don’t have the energy to do various tasks with your child, you can buy a sweet advent calendar. This will definitely be the tastiest calendar that has ever been in your home.
P.S. Quantity doesn’t matter!
Don’t have the energy to make an advent calendar for a month? Make it for a week! This is even better for young children; otherwise, they can quickly burn out. Although if the advent calendar is designed in the form of toys, they might last longer.
Let’s be honest: historically, the advent calendar has been interesting for children of all ages. However, before the New Year, every adult becomes a little child. So forget about your adult problems, decorate your home with intricate advent calendars, and fill yourself with the pre-holiday mood!
For more information on holiday traditions, you can visit History.com.
