Unable to settle to anything that requires much brain, today I have been blog-surfing.

I came across this idea on Anso’s blog, which I read regularly. (She is amazingly talented and creates more things in a day than I do in six months.) It appealed to me because I don’t really like chocolate advent calendars, which often have nothing at all to do with advent and also contain the feeblest excuse for chocolate since Easter eggs. I do like the idea of re-useable advent box-type arrangements though, because the contents can be personalised and they are generally tradition-making rather than disposable, which is A Good Thing.

So. I’m trying to track down something similar to Anso’s tree-shaped advent box thingy for altering myself. So far I’ve found this advent train in Tesco’s (not really sure what a train has to do with the coming of Jesus, but we’ll gloss over that for the moment, as the train concept is likely to be popular with my husband). There’s also this advent house, which is lovely and requires no altering, but it comes from Target in the USA, so is not really an option. Hmm. (OK, yes, the house is also a bit of a leap from a stable, but at least houses existed in 0 AD, which is more than can be said for the train.)

Aha! A few more minutes of googling have turned up this M&S advent-tree-box thing, which looks pretty similar to Anso’s box. I’d never know what to do with all the jewellery, so those would have to become Christmas presents… but the box is good!

I also found a Noah’s Ark wooden advent calendar. I am confused as to the connection, but I suppose at least they’re reading the right book, even if they are a few hundred pages out.

Anyway. If you happen across something of this nature that you think might be of interest, please drop me a link. Meanwhile, I’m off for a look around the Panduro Christmas bits and pieces. They are lovely. I may be a while…