The Coolest Advent Calendars

I'm always the one in the drug store on December 5th shopping for an advent calendar--and wondering why the selection stinks. This year, I vowed to start earlier (albeit by just a few days) and wanted to share three options that I think are way cooler than anything I'd find in my local CVS.

I love 24 Penguins Before Christmas for its quirky twist on the traditional Christmas scene. Inspired by author Jean-Luc Fromenthal's original 365 Penguins book, it features the same turquoise-and-orange landscape which includes little doors which open to one or more adorable penguins. My kids will love to search for each day's door and guess how many of the little black-and-white critters they'll find. An accompanying mini-book tells a rhyme about each day, and I know that this will be something they look forward to hearing every year.


Since anything I knit is destined for the scrap pile, it would be totally worth it to invest in this clothesline of tiny elf stockings at Chasing Fireflies. I'd tuck a treat into each of the 24 brightly colored stockings and watch my kids' faces as they reach in to retrieve their daily booty. Even after the kids have moved on (sob), this will be a great holiday decoration and a reminder of the days when their feet were elf sized.

For a little more "oooooh", the limited edition advent calendar from Design Within Reach is like nothing I've ever seen before. At the start of the month, the round red boxes sit on top of each other to form a most contemporary Christmas tree. Each day, the kids lift a box to reveal a treat I've tucked underneath. But, at this price, if I find them using the boxes as building blocks, I may need to make myself a stiff eggnog to recover. -Christina

(penguins via ohdeedoh)

 

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