advent calendar

One of our favorite traditions is to countdown the days until Christmas with an advent calendar.  In years past we have done the cheesy cardboard chocolate ones, the Lego ones, and wrapped Christmas books.  For the past several years we had a little wooden one with numbered doors behind which we stashed little treats and trinkets.  

The problem with that calendar was that we have 3 boys which = bickering over whose turn, complaints about who got what, waking up extra early to open the calendar and all of that = one unhappy momma.

So this year, I got smart.  I started a Pinboard of advent calendar ideas:

view the board here

And I decided to make this year's countdown to Christmas about spending meaningful time together, rather than about "stuff."  

24 embellished pockets hang from strings attached to a picture frame.

I put the more time-consuming activities in the weekend pockets.  Our weeknights are busy with three boys in hockey, guitar lessons, homework, etc.  This is meant to be fun and stress-free.  If we can't get to an activity one night, we simply switch it out or double up on another night.  So far the boys have loved it!  Their favorite was definitely the special hot chocolate party:

{Intagram pic}

And mine would have to be the giant popsicle stick snowflakes:

{Instagram pic || idea pinned from here}

Thanks for visiting!