Recently, I found a link on swissmiss that really caught my eye; a minimal advent calendar. Dawn loves Christmas time, and I thought this would be a great idea to give her. Though I would have liked to support the artist who had the idea, I didn’t really have time to order it and wait for it to ship from Germany. Hopefully I can support them through a different purchase for someone at a later date. Plus, I am lucky; my friend Mike M. at work is a fantastic woodworker!

I showed Mike the item and told him my idea, and he said he’d be able to do it in no time. He’s a good guy and wouldn’t take money for it, so, I do owe him lunch. (thanks again Mike!!)

What I really loved about this, besides the minimal aspect of the item, was that Ian and I could write personal notes to Dawn for each day. Here is the little man crafting his priceless notes to momma. I love what he wrote for her.

We each crafted notes; things we could do for her, personal notes, and shared memories. I know I enjoyed writing the notes, and I could tell the little man did as well. He can be so creative.

The advent calendar, full of notes.

Then, we made her sit at the table so he could place it in front of her while she had her eyes closed. He, of course, had the notes in a very specific order; planning exact days he wanted her to open specific ones he’d written.

I think she enjoyed her surprise, and will be able to enjoy it all month.