*** Update: New calendar uploaded.  Download our Dec 2013 calendar (Word)  ***

Original Post: November 10, 2012:  An Advent calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Some calendars are strictly religious, whereas others are secular in content. Despite the name, most commercially available Advent calendars begin on December 1, regardless of when Advent begins, which can be as early as November 27 and as late as December 3. Many take the form of a large rectangular card with "windows" of which there are often 24; one for each day of December leading up to Christmas Day. One is opened every day during Advent.

This year, I started this tradition in our family with our 2 year old daughter, Zoe.  We focused more on activities with family and the family tradition of thinking of others.  And, since we have multiple families to visit, we extended the calendar to include a few days after advent.

  
Download advent present labels below.  They are sized to fit Avery® 22807 Easy Peel® Print-to-the-Edge in White Round Labels, Glossy, 2" Diameter. The EPS can also be reformatted to fit Worldlabel WL-5375.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

I made these simple treat bags for Zoe's classmates the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  My hope was that they would be useful if families were traveling for the holidays, so the bags included snacks, activities, and stickers.  Feel free to jump to the activities I pinned and download the labels I created (below).

Labels in Illustrator, EPS or PDF format.
Free vector image was found here.
Fonts: Chunk Five, Ekologie Hand
Formatted 12-up to fit Avery® Easy Peel® Square Labels 22806, 2" x 2"

Supplies:
Cardstock paper
Photos and graphics (http://www.dryicons.com has great, free images)
Scissors or cutting board
Loose leaf ring (I found mine here)

Instructions:
Arrange photos and graphics 4-up on an 8.5 x 11 inch sized document.  Print graphics on one side of the cardstock, and photos on the other side.  Cut into 4.25 x 5.5 inch fourths.  Punch hole in top corner and fasten with ring binder.

You're welcome to use my graphic files, below. 

Repurpose an old flowerpot
 
DONE!  Link to project

Make home made birdseed

DONE!  Link to project

Repurpose an old bulletin board

DONE!  Link to project

Make a chalkboard to write frequent love notes

DONE!  Link to project

Make a "Zoe Is" book for my daughter

DONE!  Link to project

Redo a breakfast tray for guests

DONE!