Ceramicist Paige Russell shares instructions for making your own modern advent calendar/Christmas tree hybrid.
Directions:
1. Print templates 1–24 on white paper, cutting and folding where indicated.
2. Wrap each number around a small white envelope containing a trinket (a chocolate, say, or a small toy) and, using a hole punch, make a hole through the top of both.
3. Loop a piece of string through the hole, knot it, and attach an ornament hanger.
4. Hang envelopes on branches stuck into a planter filled with pebbles (here, bamboo branches are primed and spray-painted white). Hang tea lights on branches.
Every day starting December 1, remove and open that date’s envelope, replacing it with an ornament.