25 Day Advent Calendar with Windows

Its already December 5, but when my kids saw these old-fashioned advent calendars with the windows, they immediately wanted to make some. If you want to make some, too: The printable template (above, or two more below) has 25 windows (including the moon). Print two for each child on card stock. Color one of them, and on the other glue cut-out pictures from last year's Christmas cards or catalogues. The glued on pictures should be bigger than the window frames, but not overlapping any other windows. Next, number the windows and doors 1-25, and with an exacto knife, have an adult cut three sides of each one. Then glue the colored page over the glued-picture page, and there you go! Lots of pictures below, because I think this just turned out too cute. 

pictures cut from cards and catalogues

gluing them over the window template

finished inside

After coloring the outside picture, we cut three sides of every window and door
with an xacto knife. I cut from the front, but showing the back so you can see.

On inside picture, put glue all around edges and in some of the white space on
the inside. Then lay the colored outside picture on top, lining up corners carefully
and smooth it flat. 

Now you should be able to open the windows to see the pictures.

Doggies!

One child made the church doors be day 1 and 2, with an icon behind.

They liked lots of Christmas-y animal pictures.

And trees and lights.

Wise men, stars, shepherds and angels, too.

And cats in stockings.

Lots of Nativity scenes from our catalogues.

St. Lucia on day 13!

A variation. Don't cut out the windows and doors
on the back row of houses that are partially covered.

And one more, in case you want to make a calendar but skip the coloring.