Christmas advent calendars are the most popular and fun way to count down the days until Christmas. You anticipate each day wondering what could be lying behind each window. Chocolate advent calendars with chocolates behind every door, for instance is a good way to involve kids in the Christmas countdown. However, one doesn't have to spend so much just to get an advent calendar. A personalized homemade one is a fun activity which allows you to choose the things that you would like to put behind each door. Furthermore, it is also a fun activity to involve your children and bond with them.

To make your personalized homemade Christmas advent calendar, you will need the following materials:

· Felt tip pens
· paints or colored pencils
· PVA glue
· Scissors
· Plasticine or Blu-Tack
· thin card or stiff paper
· magazines and catalogues
· 2 print out patterns (for the front and back of the calendar) from the Santa's Postbag website, (please find the link is below)

Prepare the back pattern print-out with 25 squares. Each of these 25 squares corresponds with a door on the front pattern print-out. Select pictures from the magazines and catalogues and cut them out. Glue each picture onto the squares. If the there are part of the pictures that hang outside the squares, leave them as it is. They won't be seen once the calendar is finished. Set it aside to dry.

If you notice, there are 2 designs made available on the website for the print-out pattern on the front part of the calendar - the Santa Claus and the Reindeer. Choose one and have it printed. Add some color to the design. You can use paint or colored pencils to color the picture. Should you decide to use paint, you will have to set aside it for awhile to dry before you continue.

The front part of the calendar has to be glued to the thin card or stiff paper to give it a sturdy look. Sugar paper is recommended if there is any. Coat the whole sheet of the pattern with a thin layer of PVA glue and glue it to the card or paper. Set aside to dry.

Every door on the front of the calendar needs to be cut. To cut these doors are a bit challenging and younger children may need to be assisted to do it the right way. Carefully, cut 3 sides of each square. The doors may be opened either left or right, or upwards or downwards, depending on your preference.

Place a ball of Plasticine or Blue-Tack on top of the table with your picture placed on top of it where you would want to create a hole. A corner of a square would be advisable. Gently push a pencil through the paper then right into the Blu-Tack or Plasticine. This is will create a hole that will get the scissors into where you will need to cut the door. Slice all 25 doors.

Attach the front part of the calendar to the back part - where the magazines pictures were glued - making sure that the pictures are visible once the doors are opened. Set aside the calendar to dry.

As soon as the calendar is completely dried, you now have your very own homemade personalized Christmas advent calendar. You can then open the first door of your advent calendar of the first day of December, and so on as the days go by, until you Christmas finally comes.

Embrace the warmth of Christmas through our site merry christmas 24. Check out our newly published article about Personalized Christmas Advent Calendars at Christmas Calendar and make your own Christmas Calendar.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/news-and-society-articles/personalized-christmas-advent-calendars-847020.html