December is just around the corner and in my house that means time to begin one of my favorite traditions…the countdown to Christmas morning!  An advent calendar is such a wonderful way to countdown the days to the evening the big man pays a visit, building the anticipation as the cheerful tags disappear one by one!  When my boys were little we started this tradition by hanging little bags and boxes filled with tiny trinkets and candy…little tokens to open each morning leading up to Christmas Day!  Back then it was so easy to find inexpensive goodies that the kids were thrilled over…stickers, bouncy balls, a Hot Wheel car or a piece of candy!  The candy is still a hit but as the boys have grown it has been increasingly difficult to find small items that they would appreciate that won’t break the bank!  The days of giving stickers unfortunately are over for me, so the past few years I’ve really struggled to find useful or fun little items to fill up the 24 days in our advent!  This year I came up with a new twist that helps me save money AND time!  Let me share with you a new idea for our old tradition and a really easy way to create it!

advent calendar with a twist!