alternative advent calendar - introducing Mr tree & frosty!
My very talented Mother-in-law knitted our eldest Frank this snazzy Christmas Tree calendar a number of years ago. I annually stuffed each pocket with a chocolate coin and he of course loved it but this little Lattin Christmas tradition evolved a couple of years ago when our youngest June was a baby. Too little to have a chocolate coin, I printed a mini photo and popped one in each day of her calendar. Frank just had chocolate but absolutely loved looking at the photos each day. So since then they both get a chocolate coin and a photo from that year. It's a really meaningful way to look back on the year and talk about events like birthdays/holidays/Halloween/Bonfire night but also the tiny moments we've had together, and both the kids now love it.
It's also made me a bit more organised about actually printing photos from that year as I have a real deadline to do it. Last year I discovered the photos fit perfectly into some colourful toy magnetic squares we have so they get popped up next to our breakfast bar over the Xmas period so we can look at them and add to the trashy Xmas decor! After that they get added to our huge photo wall at the stop of our stairs outside the bathroom.
It has also served as a great excuse to sit down go through my photos from the year and clear out all the junk - anyone else have a kid who takes a million pics on their phone of the same thing? My phone had been complaining for a while. My suggestion to make this process easier is to set up an 'Advent' folder in your camera app to save them in so they're all in one place. Go through your photos in batches and add them to the folder as you go. This does take some time so I've approached it by doing some when I have a few mins where I'd probably usually be scrolling - making a brew, on public transport etc. Once you've got your picks for the calendar you can upload straight from your phone.
The photo prints I use are from Inkifi and I use the Mini Photo Prints but there are a few different styles to choose from. At the time of posting this they have a Black Friday offer on with a whopping 40% discount but often have a discount running at various times of the year too.
I'm totally aware that many of you won't be lucky enough to have a Mr Tree or Frosty, but there are lots of creative but no hassle ways to make an advent calendar that could house a mini print each day. Here are some DIY and inexpensive ideas!
Toilet roll
This is a relatively easy diy option using toilet paper rolls. Info on items needed and how to assemble here. Note it says to cut the tp rolls in half but you need a full roll to fit the photo and you'd need to slightly curve the photo to fit, but I've checked and it's definitely possible! There are different variations to it like this xmas tree version.
Envelope calendar
A long stick, some string and 24 small envelopes is all you need! Really easy but full instructions here. This can be customised in many ways - dried fruit and sprigs of foliage as here or jazzed up with tinsel and sparkles. As the envelopes are opened you could also blu-tack the image to it to display the images as you go along!
Fabric panel
This fabric panel advent calendar from Hobbycraft is £13 and has pockets at 10 x 10cms so will fit a mini photograph and a little treat. Being fabric is can be customised with fabric pens, embroidery or iron on patches. Great for re-using for years to come!
wooden Christmas tree
This wooden advent calendar by The Works is inexpensive at £14 and can be re-used each year. It can be left as it is or customised. They also have a non-Christmassy option with this square-draw cabinet which could be re-used throughout the year for storage. Note, you'd have to check the size of the drawers fit the photo as they don't give the dimensions.
I hope you and your kids enjoy this Alternative Advent Calendar as much as me and mine do! If you'd like another photo based activity there's my 8 Photo Challenges for kids and also my downloadable scavenger hunt below - ideal for a wet day indoors or a crisp Winter walk! And if you'd like to join my mailing list for more photography tips and discounts, subscribe below!
