A 40 day advent calendar to use throughout the Nativity fast. 10 pockets feature icons of the saint or feast of that day, and the journey ends on the the largest pocket depicting a Nativity scene inspired by Coptic icons. Greenery, birds, snow, and cheerful winter scenes decorate the other pockets. The pockets are labeled 1-40, but if you peek inside the pocket you can see the date (for both Gregorian and Julian calendars) on the back. There is a sleeve for a dowel or stick at the top for easy display, and a star to glue on a popsicle stick and move from pocket to pocket so we, like the wisemen, can follow the star to the Christ child.

This calendar is incredibly versatile. For little ones, just moving the star from pocket to pocket and watching it get closer to the Nativity will be a fun tradition. Another idea for little children is you could put some change in each pocket and then have the child drop it into an almsgiving jar every day (or have a couple of different jars with different charities so they get to pick where it goes), talking about how giving is more important than getting. For older kids, you could tuck a Bible verse in every pocket, an act of kindness to do for someone else, or Jesse tree ornaments (or the Welcoming the Christ Child ornaments!). The possibilities are endless!

There are 2 size options:

-Small- a 15”x18.5” (when completed) calendar, with 2”x2” pockets. Fabric is 1 fat quarter.

-Large- 18”x27.5” (when completed) calendar, with 2.5”x2.5” pockets (just the right size for the ornaments from the Welcoming the Christ Child set and the advent countdown cards.

The DIY kits include all the fabric you need for the project, instructions, and a popsicle stick. To complete this advent calendar you will need to cut out the pieces, sew or glue it together, and glue the star to the popsicle stick. If you choose to hang it up you will need a dowel or straight stick and some string or ribbon.

There are a limited number of LARGE FINISHED CALENDARS available!