A CRATE FAMILY TRADITION

Documenting Advent Calendars for my extended family.  I just finished the top one this year.  In 1974 my Mother made our first Christmas Advent Calendar out of a wooden Coca Cola Bottle Crate.  It was the perfect thing to use, with it’s deep square compartments for little treats or nick nacks each day. A hershey kiss, some smarties, if we were lucky a cute smelly eraser or pencil for school.  She decorated it with felt flaps and made felt ornaments decorated with sequins and rick rack.  She still has it hanging at Christmas every year.  It has now had 25 years of use.  It is priceless.  The crates are now usually only found in antique stores, or farm house basements. 

When I was around 20, I found some of the Coca Cola Crates while up in Park City.  There were just the right amount of them for myself and 4 brothers to each have one.  So I bought them for us.  When Carson got married, I made him and Angie theirs for Christmas.  I continued with Cameron and Sarah.  Theirs had wooden doors on leather straps that open from the top.  Their door are raw wood and painted with little ornaments and snowmen.  Even though there are other advent calendars in use at times, they still have these displayed in their homes.  In one of theirs I remember writing the scripture reference in the back of each box, so that they would be able to read the Christmas Story through the month as well.

I finally gave Shawn and Angie D theirs a few years ago to decorate themselves.  I just decorated mine this year.  I was in a hurry.  I need to add small numbers and redo the sizes of the flaps so that they do not overlap each other.  I will have to scale them down a bit.  I also wish that I would have done just one color for the felt background behind the white.  I think they multi color is really what is bothering me here.  I have one more to do for Christian.  Maybe I will give this one to him and make one more for us.

Anyway, it is meant to be rustic and charming and chaotic  and colorful…and FUNCTIONAL…which it was.  The kids LOVED their little surprises everyday.

* And the paper advent below is a kit that I purchased 2 years ago.  I LOVE this one.  Just for decorating.  I will either put a scripture a day for the Christmas story on the little green cards, or I am still looking at other ideas to write on those as more of a keepsake type item.