Tag Archives: advent calendar

‘Christmas in Camelot’ Advent Calendar Idea

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After the end of Magic Tree House, Merlin Missions: Christmas in Camelot, there is a section for “Christmas Craftwork.” The publisher chose to describe making an Advent Calendar that you can reuse. As someone who loves Advent Calendars, I found this concept intriguing, especially since it is an easy way to practice being creative. (This website uses affiliate links. If a link takes you to Amazon and you buy something, we earn a commission, but it doesn’t cost you any extra.)

The Basics

You’ll need 24 Velcro squares, a large piece of poster board preferably green, and supplies, like paper, crayons, colored pencils or pens, to make the countdown decorations. Draw a tree on the poster board attach ½ of each of the 24 Velcro squares. Create your ornaments from the other supplies and attach the second half of the Velcro. Be sure to number your ornaments 1 to 24, so you know which day each represents. Of course, the instructions are more detailed and kid friendly in Christmas in Camelot.

Disappointing Advent Calendar

One year I got a cheap chocolate Advent Calendar. I knew what it was: a cheap chocolate, cheap Advent Calendar. You open the door and get a small square of not great chocolate with some Christmas item printed on it. The square could have an elf, Santa, stocking, tree, or anything else related to Christmas. I wasn’t expecting anything grand, just something fun that I could afford. What I really looked forward to was the double doors labeled 24. That would be the largest piece of chocolate.

It wasn’t. I opened the doors on the appointed date to find a piece of chocolate the same size as the rest of the chocolates. Why did it have double doors when a single one would’ve been just fine?

My Solution

I spent the next year making Advent Calendars for friends and family. I sewed them from discount cloth I found after that Christmas. These were three feet wide by five feet tall, and they had 24 pockets that could hide items large or small. I put names on them with fabric paint and put them on dowels with string so they could be hung up. I then went to the dollar store and filled the Advent Calendars and sent them out.

I don’t know how long people used them. I do know at least one sold at a garage sale for $5. I was there for the garage sale and thought about retrieving it, but I had given it to the person, so I just let it go.

Avoiding Disappointment

You don’t have to go through all the work I did to create a fun reusable Advent Calendar. Christmas in Camelot has one suggestion that is guaranteed not to disappoint. And if you do it with your spouse or children, you’ll create memories that will last far into Christmas future.

Join us on Patreon if you’d like to countdown Christmas with us.

Advent Calendar 2024 What’s Inside (with Photo)

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I like surprises, but I realized that I don’t always get the item that’s a mystery. In fact, I usually only get a mystery item if I trust the business or person enough to believe I’m going to get value. Rarely, do I pick up a surprise because I want to be surprised; it usually involves my birthday or Christmas. Sometimes, it’s about value; can I risk the amount something costs? So, I decided to publish a sample list of items you might find in an Advent Calendar I put together.

Then, I realized that some people are visual and would much prefer a picture. So, that’s what I am putting here. A photo of a sample Advent Calendar. Please note: if you were to get an Advent Calendar from me, it will likely contain different items. The stock is constantly evolving and some items may not be available for a calendar.

If you want an Advent Calendar, leave me a message or a comment on my Patreon. Once I’ve worked out shipping, I’ll let you know the cost.

Holiday Shopping with a Personal Impact

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If you are going to be using Amazon for your holiday shopping, you can help our website out by using one of our Amazon links. When you shop through Penguinate.com, Amazon pays us a commission, The best part is that you don’t pay any more than you normally would for what you order.

Etsy Penguinate

If Amazon isn’t your thing, consider checking out our Etsy shop for plushies. Jenya has knit a bear with a sweater. The bear is super cute. We also have a selection of penguins available, including our popular Roly-Poly penguins.

Books Available

If plushies aren’t your thing (and I’m not sure that’s a possibility), I have written several books. All of them are available on Amazon in one form or another. I also have a few hard copies available that I could autograph and send.

If you’re looking for an archery book or something from an independent author, I still have several authors available, including Drue M. Scott, Darren Lamb, and Shannen Crane Camp. I’m going to read Sugar-Coated again, so I can see how the trilogy ends. Also, I have the Colorworld series.

Advent Calendar

If you would like an Advent Calendar, I am creating some. They will have stickers, projects, and other goodies. I’ll be posting on Patreon for the month of December. You could also get the 2023 Advent Calendar, which is electronic and already published.

Holiday Shopping for Impact

Of course, if none of this excites you, I urge you to find an artist, writer, non-profit, or small business to support this year. Don’t let the big businesses consolidate more cash into useless, leaden “wealth.”

Thank you for visiting our website through out the year. We appreciate you being here whether holiday shopping or not.

December 1 Archery Challenge Advent Calendar: Shooting on One Leg

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When you come shoot a regular session at Lincoln City Archery, shooting on one leg is one of the first challenges you’ll face after learning how to shoot a bow and arrow traditionally. For many people, it’s a matter of five to 10 minutes before they are ready to try this. However, others need to shoot on one leg to more firmly grasp the concepts of traditional archery.

Standing at the line, put your arrow on the bow, raise your back leg, and tuck that foot behind your knee. Point at the target, draw the bow, and release when you have your balance.

A lot of people pull the bow and anchor in before they raise their leg. This changes their shot and not in a good way. By raising the leg before pointing at the target, your bow and body will find the proper position for hitting the target.

What does shooting on one leg do? It depends on the archer. For some, it’s just a fun thing to try. For others, it helps keep them from leaning back when they pull the bow. Still others have to concentrate on keeping their balance, so their thoughts can’t interfere with the actual shot.

Practice your balance and see what shooting on one leg does for you. When you’re done, you can shoot on one leg, two legs, or no legs. (That last one I like to call sitting.) Happy Holidays! (Be on the lookout for my new book, “How to Shoot a Bow and Arrow,” coming out soon!) All our videos are on YouTube, so hit the thumbs up, subscribe and hit that bell icon!

Tomorrow: Archery Challenge Advent Calendar!

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December is almost upon us, and I wanted to make sure you knew about the Archery Challenge Advent Calendar. For each day until the 24th of December 2021, I will be releasing a new video offering you an easy archery challenge. This series is meant for people who are relatively knew to traditional archery, though more experienced archers may find some of the challenges fun, too.

There are some things that you’ll need for the event, including:

  • An inexpensive bow
  • Three arrows
  • A rubber duck
  • A stick, paper towel roll tube, pool noodle
  • A washer, the metal circle with a circle cut out of it. (Not the kind you clean clothes with.)
  • An apple
  • A bell or jingle bells
  • A picture of Santa Claus
  • A Tic Tac Toe or Nick, Nock, No! target
  • Ace of spades
  • Three candles
  • A Santa hat
  • A picture of an undecorated Christmas tree

We’ve made it easier for some of these things by creating downloadable, printable targets that simulate many of these items.

Many of the videos are already loaded to YouTube and awaiting their premiere. Be sure to subscribe to Lincoln City Archery, click the thumbs up and hit that bell icon (with your mouse arrow not a real one). We hope you enjoy these small challenges.

If you can’t find an in person instructor for your archery skills, check out the right-handed shooting, left-handed shooting, and practice 15 minutes a day videos. If you need a bow and arrows for Archery Challenge Advent Calendar, come to Lincoln City Archery at the Lincoln City Outlets in Lincoln City, Oregon. We look forward to getting you on target for the holiday season.