Melissa & Doug Countdown to Christmas Wooden Advent Calendar - Magnetic Tree, 25 Magnets

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 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 is so cute for my 2 little boys, age 2 and 5. They enjoy playing with it and decorating it outside of using it as a count down to Christmas. I'm not sure they are patient enough to use it as a count down right now, but It is well made and seems like it will hold up to a good amount of play/use. The magnets are strong and hold to the tree well.

My toddler loved this! It’s a great advent calendar without needing chocolate every day. (My kid isn’t a fan of chocolate- the horror!)The magnetic ornaments are easy to use and feel sturdy. This will be used for years to come.

Cute design and well made. My toddlers played with it all December.

I love this interactive and family friendly option for a countdown to Christmas. It’s a decoration in itself and a fun activity similar to an advent calendar without the candies/gifts. We’re doing this countdown with our 18-month old and while we have to work on him understanding once a night, he gets so excited when it’s “tree time”.The cute ornaments stick well and seem sturdy enough. I love that they can be stored in the base.I am a little disappointed that the one I received came damaged. The top of the tree is pretty crushed such that the magnet star doesn’t stay well attached at the top, we have to have it down a bit otherwise it falls off at the slightest touch. I didn’t notice soon enough to return or replace because I ordered this in advance of December.It’s worth noting that the backside is more like the back of packaging, not as decorative as the front, so this would probably be better displayed against a wall or something where we have ours on our table right now. Maybe I’ll create some art to attach to the back.