Nearly time for the Santa countdown...

I know, I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet. But that doesn't mean it's too early to get into the Christmas spirit! (Just ask Walgreens, they had their Xmas stuff up on Halloween)

One of my favorite traditions from childhood was an Advent Calendar. Mostly we would get the cardboard ones with the plastic tray of cheap molded chocolate inside, and you could only have one piece a day. i quickly discovered how to sneak into it and rob it clear to Dec 20th. Then I quickly discovered how sick cheap chocolate makes me.

MMMM, sense memory.

However! Later on, we would have an advent calendar with little boxes, perfect for tucking a teeny little gift inside. What a perfect way to build the anticipation to the Big Day! Here's a selection of awesome Advent Calendar ideas from our artists at Etsy.

Fabric Advent Calendar from Rowsewcreative

This lovely patchwork creation has the 24 requisite pockets, and also comes with a fat little angel to move from day to day in case you decide to forego the little gifties.

Gift Box Advent Calendar
from Sweet Petunias

This clever calendar features little gift boxes decorated with darling holiday ephemera. The little darlings are attached to a board and a ribbon at the top makes it perfect for hanging!

Count Down to Christmas with Your Pet with this tree from AnnMariesShop


This little tree has room for 25 days of puppy treats! If your pups are as crafty as our cats are though, I'd hang this one pretty high on the wall.

Jenniesjewels has my favorite, though:

This little tree is made up of cheerfully decorated matchboxes, each one forming an adorable little drawer for your gifts! EEEEE imagine how much fun it would be to open one of these each morning until Christmas! Oh wow. LOVE it!!

Now, on to stocking stuffers... enjoy!