I love the idea of advent calendars as a way to celebrate each day of December, but I don’t like the waxy chocolate that comes in them or all the waste they create. I was so thrilled to see this version of a simple, clutter-free advent calendar and got to work on mine the very next day.
We’re on day 7 of December and thanks to this jar we’ve already made a special effort to make mulled apple cider, sit by the fire, dance around to Christmas music, take a yoga class together, and sing and play Christmas songs on the guitar. I’m always amazed at how just a little bit of intention can make such a big difference in my happiness. Even though the weather here is (blessedly) far from seasonal or Christmassy and I’m far from home, having these lovely little activities slotted into our days makes everything feel more festive. And even though it’s December 7th, it’s not too late to make your own! The process couldn’t be simpler.
Find a big jar, some paper, a few pens and maybe some washi tape.
I cut my paper all into the same size rectangles by hand – I traced them all to be (about) the same shape and then cut them out while listening to music.
Then I brainstormed a list of 31 fun things to do over the holidays. This was really the hardest part! There are some nice ideas in this post if you need some inspiration. I wrote one on each slip of paper. I separated the papers into things we can only do in Canada (ie. ice skating) and things we can do in either place and marked the two piles with different-coloured stars (silver and gold).
I sealed them all with washi tape and stuck them in a jar. Every day, we’ve been drawing out a card, taping it to the wall, and making sure we do the activity at some point during the day. It takes some work sometimes, but breaking out of our routines and adding in some Christmas cheer is so worth it. In fact, we might start making a jar for every month, not just December!
I hope your December is merry and bright.
