Catholic Activity: Advent Calendar III, Matchboxes

Advent calendars were first produced in Germany in 1890 but can now be found almost anywhere. They have one window to be opened for each day, from the first day in December to Christmas Eve. Inside each window is a picture of something having to do with Christmas, an angel, a star, and so on. Making your own Advent calendar with a large piece of paper and pictures cut from old Christmas cards can be fun. Here's another more original idea, using matchboxes.

DIRECTIONS

1. Glue twenty-four matchboxes together.

2. Cover the top and sides with Christmas paper.

3. Number each box either in order or jumbled up.

4. Put a sweet (candy), a tiny toy or a Christmas picture in each box.

5. Open one box each day.

Activity Source: Feasting for Festivals by Jan Wilson, Lion Publishing Corporation, Batavia, Illinois, 1990