Christmas Countdown...

This year, I really wanted to do something fun for Micah for Christmas.  I'm not usually a very thoughtful person when it comes to gifts, etc., so I made myself really think about what I could do pretty early on so I could get it done in time. . . . And I came up with nothing. 

Until I saw this post on The Dating Divas.

It's not actually a present.  It's a Christmas Countdown, and she created a card for each day of December through Christmas for him to open each morning.  About two-thirds of the cards were sweet thoughts about her husband.  About one-sixth of them were acts of service (something she was going to do for her husband).  And the rest were fun Christmas activities that they could do together.

So I decided to make my own version. 

I ended up doing a few more "activities" than she did because I liked the idea of really getting into the holiday spirit together.  Some of the activities have been going to see The Story at the American Airlines center and to the Christmas concert at church (except I messed up the date, and we ended up missing it.  Oops.)  Here's a closeup of some of the cards.

I found some cute Christmas paper at a scrapbook store near the house, and I got the stickers and little cutouts there, as well.  The cards, themselves, were actually plain greeting cards.  That saved me the hassle of having to cut out all the squares.  :) 

I didn't have quite as much empty wall space as she did, so I made them vertical instead of horizontal.  I found the cardboard "H" at Hobby Lobby and covered it with moss (that was quite an adventure).  Then I hotglued three strands of ribbon and attached each card with a clothespin.

Mine didn't end up quite as perfect as hers, but I definitely had fun making it, and I love the way it looks in our entryway.  Micah has really enjoyed opening his card every morning, and when it's an "activity" night, it gives us something to look forward to in the evenings. Plus, it'll make an adorable Christmas card holder for next year! :)