I love counting down the holidays. I remember as a child getting the cutesy chocolate advent calendar from the store. 
Each little chocolate bringing me closer to that magical day. With our families busy schedules we have to work at fitting in all the wonderful holiday traditions of the season. That’s why I love the idea of an activity advent calendar. You can make sure you fit in all the fun traditions like “watch a Christmas Story” or “go caroling” by doing one a day. By making it a fun activity that brings the warmth of the holiday season.
Since I don’t have a fireplace I wanted to come up with an Advent calendar that didn’t need to be strung in a long line but could be compact and still be a fun decoration. My solution: a wreath that will look amazing and work year after year. I’m really happy with the final result!
For this project you will need the following:
Plain faux pine wreath
White Marker
Glue gun and glue sticks
Black marker or pen
Items from the Recollections Christmas Collections (available at Michael’s craft stores)
Advent Pocket Gift Tags
Mini Banner Small Border Banner
Small Merry Christmas Tags
Craft it Christmas Ribbon Value Pack
Craft it Christmas Mini Round Garland (2)
Craft it Christmas (Large) Round Banner
Step 1 – Get you Calendar Ready
Taking the small Merry Christmas tags and write down all the activities you want to do on the back of each one. Remember to intermix “big” activiites ( like going out to a movie) with smaller ones (stay home and sing Christmas carols). One you have all the ideas written down cut a length of ribbon and tie it to the top of each tag to give it a finished look. Insert the tags in to the advent calendar tags.
Step 2 – Make the mini garland
Using your white marker (or you could use chalk) write the word you desire to hand in the center of your wreath. string it on the provided twine and set aside.
Step 3 – Prep the wreath
Take a moment to “fluff” the wreath to make it look more full. Before you add the tags thread the bare wreath with the mini round garland.
Step 4 – Arrange the tags
Before glueing down the tags arranage all of them on the wreath so you can figure out the placement. Then glue each advent tag to the wreath using a hot glue gun.
Step 5 – Finish up
Use the large round garland to fill in the gaps of the tags and tie on the mini pennant banner.
Enjoy the season!
These cute tags are just a small sampling of the fun holiday Recollections items that are at Michael’s ( I have a few extra items not shown that I picked up for some more holiday fun). They have coordinating sets which makes it easy. I also picked up some fun envelopes for “Elf on a Shelf” activities!
Whether you’re looking to embellish a package or a quick kit to help polish off your holiday decor, the Recollections items are a great affordable option. You can find the best Recollections holiday products in the paper crafting section on the ends of the isles.
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