Repurpose For The Best Christmas Countdown Calendar
We are heading into the holiday season and as December 1st approaches we turn our thoughts to Christmas. And the countdown to the days of Christmas begins! In this blog post I want to share an easy project to use a cabinet door to repurpose for the best Christmas countdown calendar. As far as DIY advent calendars go, this beautiful sign is the perfect way for the whole family to count down to the big day. Display anywhere in your own home to enjoy this Christmas season like in the living room next to the Christmas tree or it’s the perfect size to hang in the dining room.
A Fun Way To Celebrate Is With A Christmas Countdown Calendar
A Christmas advent calendar or a Christmas countdown calendar have always been a special family tradition for my girls and I. Every single year I gathered creative ideas for a small treat for each day for the girls . These included coupons for a special holiday activity, gift cards to a craft store like Hobby Lobby or the Dollar Store, small toys and more.
Use the following list of little treats as inspiration for your own DIY Christmas countdown calendar. An easy way to package these for gifting is in small paper bags or small envelopes. A great project for these envelopes is in this post.
Countdown Gifts
Ideas For Little Kids and Bigger Kids too!
The below links are affiliate links. This means I make a small commission when you purchase.
- Stickers
- Hair Clips or Elastics
- Socks
- Chapstick in A Fun Flavor
- Temporary Tattoos
- Chocolate Coins
- Bath Bombs
- Hot Chocolate Packs
- Playdoh
- Small Figurines
- Hot Wheels
- Finger Puppets
- Nail Polish or Manicure or Pedicure Set
- Small Sized Lotion or Sugar Scrub, Hand Sanitizer with Holder
- Earrings, Necklace, Bracelets, Ring
- Scarf, Mittens, Gloves, Stocking Cap
- Croc Charms
- Novelty Pens
- Trail Mix or Snack Mix
- A Crazy Flavored Soda
- Paper Clips In Fun Shapes
- Themed Bookmark
- Card Games
- Funny Band-Aids
- A Keychain
- A Magazine for Their Interests
- A Book of Brain Teaser Puzzles or Mad Libs
- Post It Notes
- Favorite Photo In A Small Frame
- Mini Candy Canes or Candy Cane Pop Rocks
- Bubbles
- No Tie Shoelaces
- Mini Squirt Gun
- Movie Theater, Craft Store or Dollar Tree Gift Card
- Travel Games
- Washi Tape, Crayons, or Small Coloring Books
- Sprinkles To Bake Cookies Together
- Picnic in Front of The Christmas Tree
Great Ideas For A Merry Christmas From My Blogging Friends
As a special treat today, I am joining together with a group of my friends to share an abundance of holiday ideas! From great crafts to recipes to decorating ideas and more, I am sure you will find ideas and inspiration for your holiday celebration! Once you are finished visiting everyone, you will have a sleigh full of holiday ideas!
Follow along on the Amazing Creators Holiday Blog Hop. All the links to my creative friends’ posts are at the end of the post.
Countdown Calendar Printable
An Easy Way To Count Down
The Countdown to Christmas Calendar Printable includes twenty four not so tiny cards, each with a fun graphic and number to countdown to Christmas day. Images include Santa Claus, elves, snowmen and ladies, animals, Christmas trees, snow globes, gingerbread houses, sweet treats and candy, Christmas lights, and mini ornaments.
Steps To Repurpose For The Best Christmas Countdown Calendar
I rescued a bunch of cabinet doors and have plans for “fifth sparrow-ing no more” all of them. I have made a pegboard, a chalkboard and now a fun Christmas countdown sign.
Supplies For The Best Christmas Countdown Calendar
The below links are affiliate links. This means I make a small commission when you purchase.
Repurpose A Cabinet Door For The Best Christmas Countdown Calendar
First Step
- Paint your cabinet door white. Allow to dry and use a sander to distress the paint.
- Use a 180 grit sandpaper and run your sander over your project to show the wood grain underneath.
- Create your countdown numbers. Paint your small wooden tags red, let them dry.
- Glue a number scrabble tile to each red tag.
Second Step
- Peel off white backing of the transfer and position the transfer on the cabinet door.
- Rub the image onto the cabinet door using the enclosed stick.
- Peel the transfer sheet back slowly. Lay back down and rub again if you find that some of the image didn’t transfer.
Third Step
- Measure and mark for where your cup hooks will be placed. Using a level and straight edge draw a dot for each cup hook.
- This is what your tags will hang from so measure enough room around them to be able to remove the tag and turn over.
- A super easy way to measure for these holes would be with a piece of pegboard. Use it as a stencil for your cup hook placement.
Fourth Step
- Drill pilot holes for your cup hooks.
- Screw in your cup hooks into these holes. And hang your finished tags.
An extra wooden tag was added. This is for a just in case or to write a name on either side to designate the calendar countdown number flipper for each day.
Countdown To Christmas With R.A.C.K.
Sprinkle Kindness Like Confetti
Counting down to Christmas by doing Random Acts of Christmas Kindness is a great option for the whole family. The R.A.C.K Calendar has twenty-five kindness activities, detailed instructions and a shopping list. Included are printable tags for the activities plus a candy cane story tag! Sprinkle kindness everywhere. Be the ones to create joy, bring smiles, help and surprise someone with this printable.
Your Questions Answered About Christmas Countdown Calendars and Advent Calendars
What Is the History Behind the Tradition?
The idea of an advent calendar dates back to the 19th century, when German families would use chalk to mark their doors or walls with a tally mark to countdown to Christmas.
A German printer named Gerhard Lang designed cardboard Advent calendars around the turn of the century and later in the 1920s, came up with the idea of cutting out little doors to open each day. Behind each door, one would find a devotional picture or Bible verse.
In the United States, advent calendars didn’t become popular until 1954 when Newsweek published a photo of President Eisenhower’s grandchildren holding one.
British chocolatier Cadbury created the chocolate advent calendar in 1958. Behind its little doors a small piece of chocolate was found.
What Is A Christmas Countdown Calendar and How Does It Work?
Modern creative Christmas countdowns are treat-filled ways of marking off the days leading up to Christmas and Santa’s arrival.
They typically start on December 1st and countdown to December 25th. There are alternatives available such as the twelve days of Christmas countdown calendars.
What Is An Advent Calendar and How Does It Work?
Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “arrival” or “coming.” Advent season is a four-week period intended as a time to remember the true reason for the season. It serves as a time of spiritual reflection and preparation of the arrival of Jesus Christ.
It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, which is anywhere from November 27 to December 3. Since December 25th falls on a different day of the week every year, the dates of advent shift.
Printable Advent Calendar
The Reason For The Season
The Christmas Story Advent Calendar Printable is a great way to share the Christmas story with your family. This simple advent calendar includes cards with beautiful watercolor images of Jesus’ birth and scriptures. As you read the scriptures use them as an activity to set up their own nativity, use the cards as ornaments or as decoration on a mini wreath. Your family’s understanding of Jesus’ birth will grow a little bit each year as you use this reusable advent calendar.
Amazing Creators Holiday Blog Hop
Visit my blogging friends for an abundance of holiday inspiration! From great crafts to recipes to decorating ideas and more, you will have a sleigh full of holiday ideas!
- Kimberly with From Farmhouse to Florida shares this post.
- Kim with Exquisitely Unremarkable shares this simple holiday DIY to turn an old cookie sheet tray into a decorative Christmas sign.
- Crystal with Sweet Valley Acres shows us how to make an elegant winter wreath created with mercury DIY bulbs and white ostrich feathers.
- Rachel with Tea and Forget-Me-Nots creates an adorable hot cocoa station and candy cane planter with brand new Iron Orchid Designs’ Christmas decor transfers.
- Sharon with Now Choose Life shares this list for perfect gifts for couples to give each other.
- Donna with An Organized Season shares this easy DIY to make Christmas ornaments from pinecones and wood slices.
- Kristy with At Home With Kristy shares this recipe for a no-bake homemade Christmas thin mint cookie.
- Sara with Birdz of a Feather is giving us this free crochet Christmas tree pattern to create a banner or use as tree ornaments. Leave these plain or raid your craft stash to fancy them up!
- Kim with Perfecting Places shares ideas for decorating your kitchen for Christmas.
- Linda with Bushel and a Pickle shares this post.
- Rosemary with My Home and Travels shares these Christmas tree brownies that are so cute on their own or add to a dessert charcuterie board.
- Cindy with Cloches & Lavender shares this post.
- Suzanne with Shop at Blu shares this easy tutorial for dried orange slices and suggestions on how to use them in your Christmas decor.
- Maria from Pure Happy Home shares her Peppermint Christmas Bowl with Popcorn.
- Carol at Blue Sky at Home shows how to make these DIY Charger Plates for Christmas.
- Mary Anne with House of Mar shares A Holiday Gingerbread House Party.
Before You Fly Away To Repurpose For The Best Christmas Countdown Calendar
Pin any of the images to Pinterest so you can repurpose a cabinet door for the best Christmas countdown calendar – hover over any picture to save the pin to your Pinterest account. So easy!
What a lovely idea! We countdown to Christmas every year with a different type of calendar, most of the are upcycled DIYs, so I’m totally smitten with this project. Your Santa is just the sweetest. Thanks for sharing and happy hopping!
Kim – we had a few different calendars through the year and I am hoping the person who purchases it in the booth has fun celebrating with their family!
This is a fabulous countdown calendar Kristin and I love the list of little treats you included; so helpful!!!
Thank you Sara! The girls and I did a countdown calendar every year for 15 years – I have lots of ideas from those years!
I did not know that about the Advent calendar. We did observe it at church but not with the countdown. I did love the beautiful paper calendars were plentiful when we lived in Germany. Loved yours, so festive
Linda I love the history behind things.Those paper calendars are gorgeous, so many beautiful details!
I love that vintage Santa!! Such a fun idea!!
I love all of your Advent ideas, Kristin! Thanks so much for sharing!
This is so beautiful, Kristin. I’d love to make something like this.
What a fabulous project! I love it and it would look so nice in my kitchen!!! Now I have to find the time to make it! Loved reading about all the details and history!
I’m a bit obsessed with Advent calendars and my boys love using them too! I absolutely love this one! That transfer is awesome and looks fabulous on the cabinet door! Thanks for sharing how you made it! Have fun counting down to Christmas with your girls!
This is such a fun and lovely idea! The Santa is beautiful and you shared so many great ideas! I can’t wait to use some of these!
Kristin you did an excellent job of repurposing the cabinet door and turning it into a lovely Advent calendar. Christmas isn’t Christmas without an Advent calendar at our house. The kids have always loved them!
I haven’t had an advent calendar in several years and I have the perfect spot for it. I need to adapt this for a narrow space. It will look great.
Kristin, your advent calendar idea is adorable. You have so many great ideas for making and using it. It makes a lovely Christmas decoration, too.