Counting down the days to Christmas--or looking for a simple Advent craft? Try this Advent Calendar made from an altered clipboard, from blogger (and friend!) Jackfrosty.

Using simple tools and supplies, you'll create a pretty focus that counts down each day to Christmas. Craft more than one, for holiday giving!

Altered Clipboard: Advent Calendar

Simple enough for children to make, but elegant enough for adults, this free printable Advent calendar will brighten your home as you count down to Christmas. From JanBrett.com:

Christmas Treasury Advent Calendar

Santa knows if you've been naughty or nice, so what does he leave for naughty little girls and boys? Reindeer Poop!

To make this silly stocking stuffer, place a handful of malted milk balls in a zipper food storage bag.

Seal and label with the following poem or print our free Reindeer Poop Gift Tag.

Today's guest editor, Cub Reporter Perry Bear, takes on a ticklish parenting dilemma. How do you teach children to give during a holiday focused on receiving?

today's message ...

Dear Countdown friends:

It's me, Perry Bear Ewer. I'm Miss Cynthia's teddy bear; you may also know me from my Web site for kids, Perry Bear's Fun Page

It can be very hard for children to think about others during the holiday season. Everywhere they go, people ask, "And what do you want for Christmas?"

We have to help children learn to give, not just receive. Miss Cynthia has some ideas in the essay below.

I have an idea, too. Unless you're Santa Claus, just change the holiday question! Not, "What do you want for Christmas?", but "What are you giving this year for Christmas?"

The answers will surprise you!

Your bear friend,
Perry Bear Ewer

It's the holiday chore nobody wants: wrapping gifts at midnight, Christmas Eve. To head off last-minute wrapping, wrap gifts as you go.

Wrapping in small doses, you'll do a better job and enjoy it, too. To track whose gift is which, use small stickey notes to identify gifts. (Deter snoops with a numbering system tied to the master gift list!)

Another way to ease gift-wrap chores is holding a gift-wrap party with friends. Pour hot cider, put out a plate of holiday cookies and stack Christmas music in the CD player as you chat and wrap together.

A clutter-busting bonus? Swap leftover gift wrap at the end of the event; a friend's tired roll end becomes your family's fresh new pattern.

Savvy holiday planners know that making a Christmas notebook is the first and best way to simplify the holidays and celebrate the season.

But who says they have to be three-ring binders? While a standard Christmas binder is easy to make and to use, there's been an explosion of creativity across the Web. Papercrafters, scrapbookers, rubber stampers and quilters are creating personalized, custom Christmas planners that showcase their crafting skill. Better, these creative crafters share how-to tutorials to make it easy to build your own creative Christmas planner.

To create Christmas planners from altered file folders, pocket folders, index file cards or paper bags, check out the planner tours and tutorials at ChristmasPlanner.com. Get inspired ... to get ready for Christmas:

Christmas Planner Tours and Tutorials

Kitchens are humming with the season's best cookie recipes! If you'll join the holiday baking fun, check out this gift from allrecipes.com: a free printable cookie cookbook.

With recipes, tips and lavish color photographs, Homemade Holiday Cookies is a fresh addition to the cookie recipe collection. Inside, you'll find cookie tips, decorating ideas, advice for packing and shipping cookies and recipes, recipes, recipes. Don't miss coffee pairing pointers from Starbucks!

This free printable cookbook is offered in .pdf format, so you'll need the free Adobe Reader to view and print:

Homemade Holiday Cookies Cookbook

Pretty layered bath salts make a perfect gift for teens, co-workers or teachers.

Makes 12 gift jars at a cost approximately $1.50 per jar.

Includes free printable print gift tags! New! Print the Peaches and Cream Bath Salts gift tag in .PDF format.

Materials and Supplies for Peaches and Cream Bath Salts:

12 tall jelly (12-ounce) canning jars with lid and rings

2 4-pound cartons Epsom Salts (approximately 16 cups)
4 pounds sea salt or Kosher salt (approximately 6 cups)
1/2 teaspoon glycerin, divided
12 to 15 drops peach essential oil
12 to 15 drops orange food color

3 pieces cardstock (for free printable gift tags)

Instructions:

Wash, rinse and dry canning jars.

Empty one carton Epsom Salts into large mixing bowl or batter bowl. Add 3 cups sea salt, stir well. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon glycerin and 6 to 8 drops essential oil. Mix well.

This is a wonderful cookie, but I find it a bore to make. Each and every year I drop this one from my list, and each and every year my eldest child asks, hopefully, "Are you going to make those candy cane cookies this year?"

Each and every year I reply, "Well, all right, but ONLY if you'll help me!"

The reason for this devotion is obvious from the first taste. These cookies are distinctive and wonderfully flavored--and they look, smell and taste like Christmas! These are for you, honey!

Last night, good Dr. Steve and I participated in one of our favorite holiday traditions: watching the wonderful Christmas video, A Christmas Story. As we laughed along with Ralphie and his friends, we made the same comments we make every year.

"That kid looks just like my Dad, when he was little!" said Dr. Steve. "Mommy's little piggy!" sang CEO in sync with Ralphie's mom. Just as we have for the last eight years, we turned to one another at the end and said, "That is the best Christmas movie ever made!"

Earlier in our marriage? Meshing two sets of holiday traditions wasn't as simple as watching A Christmas Story. From our respective expectations to my children to his parents, we careened back and forth between traditions during the holidays, trying to please everyone.