The countdown begins

“Nana, will you send me all those little presents like you did last year?” asked Kiara.

I knew what she was talking about. These are not expensive gifts - at least, not as expensive as one friend to whom I suggested a count-down-to-Christmas calendar might be a useful idea for corralling her husband’s exuberance in choosing multiple Christmas gifts. She was horrified at the idea, imagining him filling every pocket with some jewellery item! I suppose every good idea can develop a grotesque aspect.

I made my first countdown calendar when Kiara’s daddy was small. Cash was hard to come by, but I knew lots of little things that could fill those pockets: bandaids, a couple sticks of gum, a candy cane, the directions and doings for a craft – all wrapped up in Christmas paper and lots of curly ribbon. The attraction was being able to open a surprise each day.

The next year, the stores offered large Christmas calendars with a chocolate behind each number. My boys, offered the choice, preferred their little gifts - although they appreciated a pocket or two filled with chocolate! For gifts, I would choose presents you wouldn’t think of as children’s toys, but the five or 10 minutes it took to supervise was usually well-invested. Little cones of incense came to be part of the holiday tradition, an opportunity to impress words like “hot” and “smoke” and “pine” on the vocabulary. A few feathers or balloons* could be wonderful fun, too.

One year, I used candy canes nearly every other day – the kids didn’t even open them! For some, it was the craft plans that got passed over. There were always coveted things, like those little paper cocktail umbrellas that really work, miniature flashlights, sparklers or tiny candles for Christmas Eve (with the magic note reading, “When the flame goes out, it’s time for bed!” Worked like a charm every time.)

The idea is to make a good-sized calendar with each day of December, counting up to The Big Day, one through 24. If the pockets are, say, two or three inches square, you can put an interesting (and inexpensive) gift in each pocket. It’s amazing what you see over the year once your eyes are opened! Stickers, miniature candy bars, chap stick, goofy rings, plastic animals, miniature cars and trucks – these all fit nicely into a little pocket.

Kiara’s the first girl I’ve filled a calendar for. Her packages contain all the usual stuff, but I get to disguise Groovy Girl shoes and accessories as well, not to mention hair bows and barrettes. I think I can safely say there will be a lot of little presents for her coming in the mail quite soon.

Now, to come up with new ideas for your brothers!



*Balloons are a choking hazzard. Many places which make young children welcome, like the Kings County Family Resource Centre, ban them altogether. Never leave a child alone with a balloon.