Friday, December 09, 2011

methinks perhaps crafters are crazy

This is my "never-again" Advent calendar.
I got inspired to make this from a photo that someone had posted on Facebook. It was a photo from a craft store ad. That should've tipped me off to avoid this project! I've seen all these creative Advent ideas--mostly on blogs and Etsy--of Advent muslin drawstring pouches, Advent bags hung on cute little clips, Advent boxes hanging down as a strip of garland. Now I know these people are crazy. What happens when I do a project is that my house, the laundry, and all other priorities aside from my job go to hell while I produce my one little whoop-dee-doo-da.

I don't know why I ever thought it would be fun to do this. It was fun for maybe the first seven boxes. But there are 24 days leading up to Christmas, not seven. And that means 24 little gifts or handwritten certificates for fun extras (watch a Christmas special, play a game of your choice with Dad, 15 minutes of pillow-fighting, etc.) That's like stuffing five stockings, except you can't just stuff them into a stocking. Nope, you have to find things to fit each container or write a note that says: "Ask for the present that goes in #9 because it doesn't fit." It takes time, thought and money. It's also a puzzle. I had fun finding the little gifts, but I'm over it now.

My mom sent us 24 miniature Advent books that tell the Christmas story, so I wanted to contain them in a cute way, to be opened each day. At least the calendar is done now. And I can reuse it next year, if I can stand to go through the present part again. I am one big Grinch. I just want to get to the part of Christmas where there's time off and no more preparation or stuff. Pajamas, hot cocoa and a cozy fire are all I want.

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