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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

I’m Kristin, CEO aka Creative & Energetic Owner of The Fifth Sparrow No More. I’m so happy that you’re here! I want you to be able to find the beautiful in yourself and in your home. We will do that through learning what God says about us and decorating and DIYing in thrifty and purposeful ways.

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