Wanna know what kids love?
Candy.
Wanna know how to be super popular with the kids?
Give them candy.
What do you have a TON of right now (because we just had a holiday that includes bats, skeletons, and pumpkins)?
Candy.
Seriously. The secret to life just might be chocolate covered nougat.
This cute gal on Instagram gave me a great idea on how to use up all that extra Halloween candy without sending my kids into an immediate sugar coma (Anyone else still hiding plastic pumpkins of sweets in their pantry? Closet? Glove box?). Plus, it's a super awesome tradition (Hello! A piece of candy every day leading up to yet another day when you get more sweets and presents! Heck yes!).
DIY CANDY ADVENT CALENDAR
What you need:
1. Plastic wrap
2. Small candies (I'm looking at you, Halloween.)
3. Curling or narrow craft ribbon
4. Scissors
Step 1: Gather the supplies (i.e. candy hoard) and call for your kids to stop watching their tablets and come help create this fun holiday treat (notice my eight year old's completely enthralled state of being after being told to stop playing on her iPad - don't worry, she cheered right up after realizing she was about to create a 24-day candy
Step 2: Decide how many days you'd like to countdown and select enough candies for each day.
We created two "24 days till Christmas" garlands because my two oldest kids would be participating and I thought it would be fun if they could both participate each day.
Step 3: Roll out a long sheet of plastic wrap (do not tear off roll) on a table or floor and start adding candies. Line them up near the long edge of the plastic wrap and allow about 5 inches of wrap per candy. You want to have room to tie off in between the candies with ribbon.
We assembled our 24 days countdown garland on a table by making two four foot garlands and tying them together. You could also make a long garland by stretching a longer sheet of plastic wrap on the floor.
Step 4: With all candies placed on plastic wrap, carefully tear off the sheet. It may be easiest to use scissors so as not to disturb your beautifully lined up treats.
Step 5: Systematically eat all the candies.
Just kidding. Don't eat the candy yet!
Step 6: Fold the long edge of the plastic wrap over the row of candies. Then carefully roll the line of treats up lengthwise until they are fully wrapped in the plastic. You have created a long candy garland!
Remember to let the kids help with this part too! We spaced ourselves along the candy line up and all rolled at the same time. Much easier than trying to roll that whole thing by myself, and my three year old was especially enthusiastic about rolling it all up!
Step 7: Use small pieces of curling ribbon or craft ribbon (we used about 6 inch strands) to tie in between each candy on the roll.
Step 8: Display your Christmas advent calendar! We decided to tie a longer piece of ribbon to one end of the garland to hang on the wall.
Now as you count down using your DIY advent calendar, simply use scissors to cut off a piece of candy each day. The ribbons you tied between each candy will hold the next day's treat until you're ready to cut off another piece. Just remember to cut below the ribbon of tomorrow's candy so it stays in tact!
Now you have a truly sweet way to count down the days until Christmas!