Christmas countdown: Advent Calendars

Advent calendars hold very good memories for me. I had one every year as a child and was always so excited to open a little door every morning. My favourite one was made for me by my parents out of a narrow box with doors carefully cut out, a funny picture drawn on each one and a sweet stuck behind them. My parents run a jewellery shop, so there is no busier time than in the run up to Christmas. The time and effort they put into making it was very special to me, and I'm hoping to recreate a similar feeling for Alice.

With that in mind, last year I bought an advent train. I couldn't resist it! It has tiny drawers to put a little something inside. When she's big enough I plan to make a jigsaw cut into 24 pieces that she can put together over the month. At the moment it contains dried fruit, which is less inventive, but seems to be going down well. I love seeing it on our mantelpiece and imagining years to come. It is so wonderful to be creating our own Christmas traditions and memories.