Matchbox Advent Calendar: Easy, Cute, Custom, Cheap

During the middle of Christmas season last year, I realized that Big Brother was old enough to understand the true significance of Christmas, but that I was totally failing to communicate it.  I resolved to do better this year.  The first step in my plan to help convey the significance of Christ's birth is an advent calendar.  I wanted something that would be able to hold a little note for each day with each note directing the kids to an activity, building their understanding of the events of Christmas over the weeks.

My talented friend  at lovejoypaper, kindly helped me (the crafting-incompetent one) by creating this amazing advent calendar, buying all the supplies, and then coming over to help me and a few other friends construct them.

Here's a picture of her finished project:


These were quite simple to make.  We started by emptying 25 match boxes and cutting Christmas-themed scrapbooking paper to wrap each box.  We used her punches to punch out printed numbers 1-25 and the contrasting circle to back each number.   A small magnet attached to the back of each box allows  them to be displayed on either a cookie sheet (as pictured above) or on the refrigerator.

The matchboxes slide open, making a perfect hiding spot for a small candy, sticker, piece of gum, or a little note.   None of my cookie sheets are magnetic, so, for the moment, mine is on my refrigerator:

It really is nearly as lovely as the prototype; it is my photography that suffers in comparison.  I love how it turned out and Big Brother is already itching to start opening boxes.