Updated 29 October, 2021.  Originally published 17 December 2011.

A few weeks ago, when I told you about our Christmas tree, and the new Christmas tree ebook, I promised to tell you about another new Christmas/Advent-related project.  I finally finished it (after three years of planning, procrastination, and bed rest interrupting my plans!) and can share it with you: a countdown to Jesus Advent calendar.

Expectantly Waiting for Jesus

Several years ago, in thinking about Christmas, what the first Advent meant to the Hebrew people of the time, etc., it occurred to me that there were several things I’d like to do, to give my children a little bit of that sense of anticipation.  Waiting for the Messiah.  Eagerly anticipating His arrival.  Hearing “updates” periodically that promised His coming, but still waiting for His actual appearance.

Daily Advent Scripture Readings

I determined that there were two things, in particular, that we could do to help accomplish this.  First, we could read Messianic prophecies each December day leading up to Christmas, culminating with the Christmas story we already read on Christmas morning.  This part, I haven’t gotten to yet (although I’ve been gathering verses), because I will integrate it into the second part, which I just finished this week!  [UPDATE: Find the daily Advent verses here.]

Countdown to Jesus Advent Calendar

The second thing I thought of is an Advent calendar that reveals the nativity scene day by day — and the appearance of baby Jesus on Christmas morning.

This way, the children can eagerly anticipate the “arrival” of baby Jesus on Christmas, and not just gifts for themselves.  It is this Advent calendar that has been in the works for so long.  (Largely because I’m not at all artistic, and had trouble getting from the “blank wood” stage to the “there’s a picture here I can stand to look at” stage.)

You could certainly do this on a smaller scale, but I decided to do mine on a large square of plywood so that, size-wise, it could “compete” with the Christmas tree.  The plywood has a nativity scene painted on it, and a bunch of hooks.

Two hooks hold a three-dimensional “manger.”  Twenty-four other hooks bear numbered tags.  Each day, the girls remove the day’s tag and place it in the manger.  (The manger is a bit disproportionate, for this reason.  I made it large enough to hold the tags, lying flat.)  Overnight on Christmas Eve, we put a small doll in the manger so that “Jesus is in the manger” when the kids wake up on Christmas morning.

After much fretting over how to get the picture taken care of — at least where the people are concerned — I stumbled across an embroidery pattern on YouCanMakeThis.com.  This embroidery pattern is what I used to make my people.  (If you are more artistic than I am, you won’t need this.)  My husband drew the village of Bethlehem.

The labels on the tags are from a printable Advent calendar set online, but I don’t recall where I found it.  If I locate it, I will link it up.  (If you are curious about details, the plywood is painted with craft acrylics and outlined with an Elmer’s Painters paint pen.)

Now that it’s finished, this Advent calendar should be very versatile.  Next year, I will add the verses for us to read – either on the backs of the numbered tags, or on smaller tags to hang behind them.  [UPDATE: we hang the smaller tags with the verses to read behind these large ones.]  Tags could also hang behind the numbered ones with notes of special activities to enjoy together, or treats the children can enjoy.  I think you could even hang the treats themselves on the hooks, in small drawstring bags.  (You can often find these in the wedding section at the dollar store.)  There’s a lot of room for variation with this.