Our Advent Calendars

Countdown/Advent calendars are all the rage these days, it seems! I've seen some super cute ones out there, and what a fun tradition.

A few years ago, I found some Christmas tree shaped box holders at Starbucks. They had little boxes inside, each filled with a candy. I bought 2 of them and altered the fronts of the boxes with scrap supplies and Decoupage, numbering each one. These became our little countdown boxes for my boys...and this quickly became their favorite tradition! :)

I have so much fun trying to find little things to fill each box with. Somedays, it'll be something simple like a piece of candy. Other days, I'll have something too big to fit in the boxes, so I'll write something on the piece of paper like, "Christmas Game," and we will all play a little game of Christmas themed Bingo or something like that.

Each boy has his own calendar, and they wake up in the morning asking if I've put something in them for the current day yet! lol I LOVE their excitement over these little things! Any kind of little cheap Christmas-themed party favor works great for these.

Some of the goodies I've hidden inside:
-Miniature holiday Hershey bars
-Mighty Beanz (my boys collect these)
-Piece of paper with "Christmas Craft" written on it (I find cheap little crafts to do from Dollar Tree, etc.)
-Piece of paper with "Family Christmas Movie Night" written on it (we will all sit down and watch a Christmas movie together)
-Christmas colored Sixlets candies
-Quarters, nickels, or dimes (we have put the money straight into piggy banks in the past, but this year I think we will take the money and let the boys put it into Salvation Army buckets at the stores)
-Holiday bubbles
-Piece of paper with "Bake Holiday Cookies" written on it
-Piece of paper with "Christmas Game" written on it (I found a Christmas Bingo game at Target Dollar Spot, "Santa Says" instead of "Simon Says", etc.)
-Piece of paper with "Go look at Christmas lights" written on it (we will all load up in the car and go look at the lights around town)

There are several tiny toys at Dollar Stores and other places that fit nicely inside these little boxes. Each day holds a new surprise, and no matter how little or insignificant they may be....this tradition has given us some very fun times in our home!

Do you do Advent/Countdown calendars at your home? Have any suggestions as to what can be put inside these boxes?