Our Christmas counter-downer

A couple of years ago I made an advent calendar of sorts and while I loved it there was a little too much of it.  Trying to hang the looonnngg string and find an attractive and easy way to get the mittens, hats, and stockings off was a little too much.  So this year I made another one that is a bit more compact and very easy for little fingers to remove each little hat day by day to count down to Christmas.

I have 24 little white hats with alternating pom-poms in green and red and alternating colored numbers to get us to the big day.

Inside each little hat is a little something for the kids.  Candy, Christmas erasers, Christmas stamps, and in some of them I just have an activity written down, one night I have watching the Polar Express, making hot chocolate and peppermint whip cream (make whip cream as normal and then fold in candy canes that have been crushed in food processor-minty and colorful).

I made a little quilt of sorts  and sewed clear buttons on each square to hang our little hats on.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out.  The kids are more than excited to take turns pulling down each hat and of course I love that it is completely original.  

Now I'm off to make some more treats and finish some cowls for my kids because tomorrow we are heading up into the forest to cut down our Christmas tree with some friends. Have a wonderful weekend friends!