Gingerbread Advent Calendar

After being stretched thin, this year's advent calendars had to be a little quicker to make than those of past years. Here's how to do it:

Grab a Christmas village building at the local craft store. There are different styles, they have a light in them and are quite cheap! You just have to get to them before they sell out.

With a circular drill bit, cut a hole in the back about 1.7 inches in diameter. You may want to sand the opening.

Then from a similar piece of wood (buy it at the craft store) cut a larger circle about 2.5 inches in diameter. You may want to sand the edges.

Now you can paint everything brown. Mix baking soda in with the paint before you begin if you want to try a gingerbread texture as seen below.

Attach velcro to the back of the door and house to keep the door on. If your door has a hole in the center from the drill, use a button or crafting brad to cover it up. (I tried a red button I happened to have on hand but the paint wouldn't adhere to it—it didn't adhere to the brad that well either.)

Puff paint can be used for the frosting effect. Though, it's kind of clunky and difficult to get fine details with. Try paint and a brush if you want more detailed control.

Next, wrap 25 little gifts and stuff them into the house. Close it all up and gift it away!

For my advents, I usually include a piece of candy for each person and an age appropriate activity prompt. Here is my list of activities for a young family.