To help boys and girls count down the days until Christmas on December 25, families can use Christmas advent calendars sewn from fabric that work as both a fun holiday toy and as a holiday room decoration. Some of these seasonal countdown calendars have numbered pockets in which moms and dads can hide a treat, toy, or special message or activity for each day of advent. Others come filled with soft, Velcro-backed pieces that can be stuck to a picture at the top of the wall-hanging to create a festive or religious holiday scene. Many can be monogrammed or personalized with a family's name.
Following, Chicago parents can find information about the best fabric Christmas advent calendars for 2010.
- Advent Calendar Elves - A favorite every holiday season, these adorable cloth boy or girl elves have pockets sewn all over their clothes that can be stuffed with a different toy, treat, or note each day. Find them at places like Garnet Hill or chasing fireflies.
- Santa Advent Calendar - This Pottery Barn Kids advent calendar is designed to look like a fabric Santa that can be hung on the wall, with two rows of red pockets running down his front. It can be personalized for an extra $6.50.
- Telluride Advent Calendar - This Pottery Barn Kids advent calendar is sewn to look like a Christmas tree with rows of brightly colored decorative appliquéd and embroidered pockets attached on front. It can be personalized for an extra $6.50.
- Hable 'Tis the Season Advent Calendar - A Garnet Hill exclusive, this lovely fabric countdown calendar features even rows of big, simple pockets, each appliquéd with a seasonal design such as toys, an angel, or a candle. This stylish Christmas countdown calendar can be monogrammed for free.
- Here Comes Santa Claus Calendar - New this year and a Land of Nod exclusive, this simple rectangular felt advent calendar features rows of numbered pockets and a fabric roof, making the calendar look like a house. It comes with a tiny stuffed Santa Claus that can be moved from pocket to pocket to count down the days of Advent.
- Christmas Countdown Calendar - Also new this year, and another Land of Nod exclusive, this red rectangular wall hanging is covered with even rows of pockets, each of which is appliquéd and embroidered with a different holiday item, like a candy cane, a snowman, and even Santa Claus.
- Pockets of Learning advent calendars - Each of these soft fabric advent calendars consists of hand-sewn soft cloth pieces that can be removed from the pockets and Velcroed onto the picture at the top to create a holiday scene. The Twas the Night Before Christmas advent calendar pictures a holiday living room scene that kids can decorate with fabric toys. The Christmas Tree Advent Calendar lets boys and girls decorate a holiday tree with ornaments. The new Nativity Advent Calendar lets families that value the religious as well as the secular side of Christmas to create a Nativity scene of the birth of Jesus with fabric pieces of Mary, Joseph, and other figures that can be posed in front of a fabric picture of a stable. Look for them all at Pockets of Learning.
- Nativity Fabric Hanging Advent Calendar - Available at Christian Book, this cloth wall hanging allows children to remove soft stuffed Nativity figures from its numbered pockets and arrange them in a stable scene by sticking them to the fabric scene at the top.
- Gingerbread Advent Calendar - Available at Hearthsong, this adorable felt appliqué wall hanging looks like something out the game of Candyland and is covered with small pockets in which parents can hide daily advent toys or treats.
- Kids Fabric Advent Calendar - A One Step Ahead exclusive, this cloth wall hanging lets boys and girls remove a soft-sculpture toy from a different pocket each day and then attach each hook-and-loop-backed decoration to the soft sculpture tree above. It can be personalized for an extra $5.
- Fabric Countdown Chain - In a unique use of cloth to construct a fabric advent calendar, Sugar Owl Design on etsy makes a reusable fabric countdown chain formed of links of strong cloth decorated with seasonal patterns. Instead of ripping away links of paper each day that will just be thrown away, kids can unhook each of these loops (which fasten with Velcro) and save them in their storage box to use again next year.
For more information about stylish and playful Christmas advent calendar options, check out:
- LEGO advent calendars
- Playmobil advent calendars
- Christmas Advent Calendar Garlands
- Best paper and wooden advent calendars
For more information on preparing holiday countdown calendars, read more about how to pick an advent calendar for children, how to fill an advent calendar, and how to make a family advent calendar.
Chicago families preparing for the holiday season can check out the 2010 Guide to Thanksgiving to learn about Thanksgiving toys, treats, and activities, or our 2010 Guide to Christmas in Chicago for more gift ideas, toy reviews, and information about places to shop for toys.
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