Countdown to Christmas Wooden Advent Calendar

Last year my twins were almost four and I wanted to get them an advent calendar. I really wanted this one but it wasn't available when I was looking, which, admittedly, was at the end of November or early December. I made a mental note to look for it earlier this year so I found this one again and ordered it this past summer so we've had it for over four months and used it since the beginning of this December! This Melissa & Doug Wooden Advent Calendar is a wonderful idea for children so they can see the countdown until Christmas! The calendar is in the shape of a tree and is made of durable wood, like all of the other Melissa & Doug items we've purchased. It measures 16 inches high and 12 inches wide at the bottom of the tree (not counting the box). There are 24 circles, which are labeled so kids can see which day is next for the ornament. There is an open box at the bottom to store the ornaments and star until you use them. The tree has pretty designs on it with green glitter and the box at the base of the tree is nicely decorated. There are 24 round ornaments and one star (for Christmas Day), all of which are magnetic. The entire backs of all 25 pieces are magnetic and they easily stick to the tree. The ornaments are a bit bigger than a quarter (please see pictures) and are beautifully decorated. On the back of the calendar is a pretty Christmas poem to read aloud. This calendar is recommended for ages three plus and is made in China. My twins are almost five and were so excited to use this! Since they are at the age where they know most of their numbers, it was easy for them to add a new ornament every morning plus the order is easy to follow. They were so excited to put the ornaments on the tree each morning that they did that first instead of saying "good morning" to us! I feel this calendar is very well-made and it looks really nice without looking gaudy. The only disappointment I have about this tree is that the box at the base is open which is fine for the Advent season but could present some potential problems when I go to store it. I'll just put the ornaments in a sandwich bag which works for me and isn't worth removing any stars. Overall, we love this advent calendar and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a wooden one for kids or even for yourself! It's durable, looks nice, and is fun for the whole family. I think kids ages three and older would love this because it is a fun way for them to count down until Christmas (plus it reinforces learning their numbers!). I definitely don't recommend for kids who are younger than three because they could choke on the ornaments. I see this being a fun Christmas tradition for us for several years and am happy we have one!

This is a bright, colorful advent calendar for the young and young at heart! the tree is made out of wood and its base actually holds all the ornaments. The ornaments are some type of laminated cardboard/paper cover with a black magnet on the back. Each ornament has a different design and are bright and colorful. It's fun adding an ornament each day for the Christmas countdown. I didn't think my son would be interested, but every day I'd see he would put up a new ornament to mark the countdown, ending with the star on December 25th. The tree is fairly large (about 14" height) but it doesn't take up that much space. So it's perfect for an apartment, dorm, assisted living quarters or classroom. It's a cute, colorful way to count down the days until Christmas. This is perfect for any age and makes a wonderful decoration for your table centerpiece, on the mantle or in a child's bedroom. If you know somebody bedridden, this little tree with its ornaments will add a lot of cheer and color.

I got four of these for my home as well as my children/grandchildren's homes, and they are TOTAL HITS!!! Oldest grandchild is nearly ten, and found it as entertaining as the "small fry" down to two years old! The kids were making up games with the magnet-ornaments, as well as using them as "cookies" for their "baking", plus choosing their favorites, then changing their minds to name different favorites two seconds later. The colors are perfect for Christmas, and there is some MAJOR learning going on very sneakily--counting, arranging, etc. Well worth the price for the hours of amusement!

What a fun Advent Calendar! Though we didn't use it as such, but more as a "Let's decorate the Christmas tree toy". It was so much fun and the kids loved to decorate it over and over. Easy to use, easy to store, sturdy and very colorful. The magnets stay on nicely and each has a different design. Another great toy by Melissa and Doug.

This is a great advent calendar! It was a total impulse buy (on sale) but I knew it would be fun for my just turned 5 year old who of course loves all things Christmas related, sanity saving for my husband and me because our son has been asking how many days until Christmas since the middle of November, and helpful for all of us since our son will now be able to look at the calendar and tell how many days are left, all on his own. I really like how unique this advent calendar is since it's actually a count down to Christmas- others are more of a count up. Idea aside, this is really nice for the price. I'm super picky and ours arrived in perfect shape with all the parts. I live in Alaska and way too often receive damaged items, plus honestly Melissa and Doug can be hit or miss with quality, but this is a good item. I'm not sure how it would handle being dropped, but should hold up to gentle kids just fine. Also, even though it's for ages 3 and up and I wouldn't leave my 1 year old alone with it or let her put the little ornaments in her mouth, I appreciate that they're large enough not to be choking hazards! All in all, a great purchase that I'm excited to introduce to my son in the morning (Dec 1) and I'm sure it will get lots of use by my 3 kiddos over the coming decade.

This was so nice to have this year. My daughter loved getting to add another ornament every night and counting down until Christmas. It was the perfect size for her to place each magnetic. And the fact that they could store the ornaments in the attached tray was perfect. She would also play with it and remove/add throughout the season for fun. We had no issues with paint chipping or the magnets/ornaments being ruined compared to others we have used. It was sturdy, festive, cute, and I hope to be using it for years!

This was the only advent calendar I liked the look of for my young children (without making my own from Pinterest) and we love Melissa & Doug toys. Great quality and pretty classic toys. I was disappointed to find that this item arrived a bit askew and with 2 ornaments missing. It took a while to arrive and we were already into December so I did not want to return it and hope another would arrive in time. That being said, its not a huge deal. We'll try to make similar magnets for next year (maybe with my son and daughter's faces). I do wish the collection box had a lid but it is nice that its attached; we'll just put the ornaments into a ziploc bag for storage after the holidays. And it does its job as an advent calendar- we counted down the days until Christmas together and my kids loved removing each ornament and moving them around and talking about the designs. It is a very cute and age appropriate item and we'll use it for years to come. I could not find it in any stores around here but I thought the price was a touch high, especially given the shape it arrived in. But otherwise, I'm happy and my kids certainly are too.

My Goal: A free standing, quality and non-religious advent calendar Quality: This Melissa & Doug brand item that does not disappoint. The quality was consistent with what you expect from this name brand. It is made of wood that is covered with a paper/sticker like coating. The magnets are almost laminated feeling. The magnets are strong and the ornaments stayed for as long as my daughter allowed them  The magnets were able to place them and they “grabbed” easily. Non-religious: In an effort to blend our mixed religion household- I wanted a countdown to Christmas that didn’t have any biblical features. This is bright and colorful. The mix of pictures on each ornament was a point of entertainment for my daughter. She would pick “just the right one” every night. It became a part of our bedtime routine. They day is over- cover the number. Added Bonus: Montessori activity she could do alone with colors and numbers that we could discuss every day. Conclusion: This is WAY better than candy or present calendars. She did just move an item to the new pocket. She was able to make an ornament choice every day and it was something she looked forward to. We kept this on our kitchen counter and it was both nice to look at and didn’t require a permanent hole in my walls.

I love this advent tree! It’s nice and big and sturdy, but still lightweight. The magnetic ornaments are adorable, and they stick to the tree beautifully. And it’s so handy to have their container attached to the tree. Overall, a great acquisition!

This is great as you can use it again and again

Wooden great quality!! Good price!

Rubbish , nice to look at but the decorations fall off tree if you actually get them them to go on in the first place

Lovely item for my son to put the Christmas decorations on! He had fun getting to use it when he was little and as he gets older I think this is a great edition to his room!