“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ― Winston S. Churchill
Christmas countdown has not begun…yet….and I know you might be thinking it is still too early to even think about the holidays. I get it, really I do! Let’s get past Hallowe’en and Remembrance Day and then we can think about Christmas you say.
I concede that mid October is a tad early to be thinking of Christmas even if the local Costco store has had its Christmas decorations on the shelves for well over a month. Towards the end of this month already we will begin to be bombarded with tv ads related to the festive season and then Christmas music will be heard on the radio and the madness that leads up to that special day will truly begin.
But if you are like me and have wee ones in the family with allergies, it is definitely not too early to think about Christmas. The chocolate advent calendars are out in the big box stores and of course, all children love them and clamour to have one each year. Two of my grandchildren have allergies to dairy products and nuts so these chocolate surprises will not find their way into their home in December.
What to do? Last year, my daughter-in-law asked me to design an advent calendar, possibly by sewing something together. I am not much for sewing. She sent me some models from Pinterest to give me ideas. I procrastinated long enough until I felt really guilty as grandparents do from time to time. Then I saw this wooden advent calendar in a local arts supply store and it was just what Santa ordered!
Imagine the little trinkets one could have in each of the little drawers. Each day in December is a new surprise…little toy cars, I mean really miniature cars, stickers, a delicate bracelet, tickets to a show, who knows? Much better than chocolate I would think.
And now we come to the task at hand....the unpainted advent calendar has been in my home since January. I started the project this afternoon, on a day that nothing else in the art department seemed to be working for me. I have days like that.
The fun part will be designing and painting the decorations on the boxes that represent each day in December.
Please tell me that I am not the only one working on a Christmas project?
I have got the Christmas cards out, is that enough? Ha ha… Now to find time to write in them as I only do a few at a time. Great idea though Louise, the hardest thing will be to find the items to put inside, particularly as there are two girls and one boy to satisfy.