I have always loved Advent Calendars. I would have been very disappointed with the chocolate ones you get today, an Advent Calendar without a little picture wasn't worth having. And it definitely had to have glitter on it too! When our children were small a very kind relation made a beautiful Advent Calendar with pockets. I have been known to write and illustrate a story and put an instalment in each pocket. If you do this, for goodness sake do it in advance. I would wake up in a cold sweat at 2am and have to go and write the next part of the story.
If you're the proud owner of one of our big magnetic notice boards it can really come into its own at Christmas time. Here's just a few suggestions, I would love to hear yours too so please leave a comment below if you have any ideas.
Use it for all your planning and keep lists and recipes.
Make a mood board of wrapping and decoration ideas, recipes, clippings from magazines etc.
Put all your Christmas cards on it (fix the magnet on the inside so that you can see the whole picture)
Make an Advent Calendar for the children.
I always see Christmas as a great excuse to clear my magnetic board from all the clutter that builds up over the year. It makes you feel cleansed (but not if you just stuff it into the nearest drawer as I tend to do!).
Now that you have a nice blank canvas it's time for the fun bit,. So here's a couple of ideas, again I'm sure you have some too.
Cones - EasyPeasy just choose some Christmas wrapping paper and draw around a tea plate on the reverse of the paper. Cut out (I used pinking shears to make a zigzag top to the cone). Cut a quarter of the circle out then twist round to form a cone. Secure with a staple. Wrap a small present in tissue paper and fix with an extra strong or Neodymium magnet. If the gift is very light it may hold with a normal strength magnet. Number each cone, I printed the number, cut it out with a scalpel then covered in glitter but you could easily use stickers or write the number on the cone.
Treasure Hunt - Use luggage tags to write clues on one side and number the other. I suggest that you plan this carefully and put the presents in place the night before (don't forget, you'll be in trouble!). This idea is a lot of fun and you can use ordinary strength magnets. I have stuck chocolates onto the magnets with double sided tape for an extra treat.
Envelopes - Again, very simple. Write the date on the envelope and maybe draw a picture or cut a picture from an old Christmas card. Put your gift inside and use the flap of the envelope to fix to the board with a magnet. You will have to test the magnet strength again to make sure it holds securely.
You could also use paper or cellophane bags. If you are good at sewing why not make some little drawstring bags, applique the numbers on and bring out each year. Whichever you decide to do the main thing is to have fun.
The magnetic board featured here is "Utensils' in red.
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