Speaking of anticipation....I've always loved the idea of Advent calendars, but I've always been shy about doing a Christmas one in our home, as we aren't Christian.
But ever since the weather has changed, my son starts each morning by asking me if it's Halloween yet. So we decided to make a Halloween count down calender.
I made up a bunch of teeny tiny envelopes using my brand new Envelope punch board. Each one is about an inch and a half across. When I first bought this thing I considered it a bit of a splurge, but in the week that I've had it, I've used it to make seed packets, birthday card envelopes, our Diwali cards, and little storage boxes for small things in the kitchen. I love it!
I also love the little count down garland. I filled each envelope with a slip of paper with a name of an activity. Since Diwali also falls in this time, I included a few Diwali crafts and activities as well. I love having an activity planned for each day, and since I can't remember what I put in each envelope, I'm also surprised each day!
Some activities are small ones, like taking a fall walk, and some are more involved, like making salt dough diyas. Almost all are free, and every single one is a lot of fun!
I think I'm definitely going to be doing more of these through the rest of the holiday season. Let me know if ya'll want a tutorial!