Kids Holidays: Cheap and Helpful Countdown to Christmas

Have you looked at the Advent Calendars or other Christmas Countdown toys?  They are super expensive.  I was looking at some of the Lego ones and they were on sale in the stores for $35-40.  Even if you get just the paper ones with the doors with the chocolate behind them, they look to be at least $8.  We get one every year from friends of ours for our little guy which he loves (although still confused why he can't open a second door if he wants another chocolate).

Luckily, I have an even more frugal and fun way to celebrate the holiday which I would love to share with you!!!  Wrapped books for each day so that the child has something to open and then you have a special book to read for bedtime.  There are a few different ways to do it so hopefully you will find an option that works for you!

My mom went a little overboard with her shopping for books at the used book sale at the library (and just about everywhere else). We decided that it would be really fun if we wrapped them individually so that my son could open up one every day until Christmas.  She got most of the books for $0.25 to $1.00 because I wouldn't let her buy anything until half off day at the sale so it was super cheap to get 24 books necessary to make your countdown.

I have seen these done a number of different ways like taking the same Christmas books and wrapping them up so that the kids have one thing to open every day and read for bedtime.  It helps so that you aren't stuck reading the same Christmas book every night.  I was planning on doing that but I guess it will have to wait until next year.  The great thing is that at the young ages, the books are all new to them every year.  But as they get older, there are books that they look forward to reading at the holidays.  No matter what age group you have, this helps stretch out the Christmas joy and books!!

We labeled each one with a number and my son has looked forward to opening one every night after dinner which we promptly read...sometimes while we are still sitting at the dining room table.  He has read a lot of different books that I didn't think that he would read by making it a special gift.  I hope that you enjoy making your own book tower even if you only want to do it for the 12 days of Christmas or the days that your kids are home for break before the holidays, it is well worth it to save up some inexpensive books for this for next year.

I hope that you try this with some books for your kids!!!  Don't have that many books at your house?  No reason you can't do it with library books.  You could also make it for less days and only do it for two weeks.  Kids like opening presents so anyway to do it makes it a fun adventure.