About the Advent Calendars

LAURA SECORD
Treat yourself to a delicious Advent calendar: $9.99 each or 2 for $17!

KINDER Advent Calendar
- Includes 1 Kinder Surprise, 9 Kinder Mini Eggs, 9 Kinder Schoko-Bons, 2 Kinder Hollow Santas and 3 Kinder Chocolate
$12 available at Walmart

HALLMARK Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar
Make the holiday countdown extra fun with this interactive Christmas tree! Spin the wheels behind the tree to show the days until Christmas, and change out the tree's ornaments anytime you want to give it a festive new look.
$12.95

MELISSA & DOUG Countdown to Christmas Wooden Advent Calendar
Add some kid-friendly holiday cheer and a charming yuletide ritual to your home with this wooden magnetic holiday tree. The set includes 24 unique magnetic ornaments plus a shining star for Christmas day - all of which fit neatly in the attached box at the base of the tree.
$24.99 available at Indigo

LEGO FRIENDS ADVENT CALENDAR
Count down to a LEGO® Friends Christmas this December! Build the holiday story as you follow Mia on a sledding adventure! Spot the wildlife in the forest on the way to her friend Ewa’s house. Help them prepare a delicious Christmas dinner and then share in the excitement as they open all their presents!
$39.99 available at Mastermind Toys

PLAYMOBILE ADVENT CALENDAR SANTAS WORKSHOP
Help Santa assemble all the Christmas gifts as he makes his list and checks it twice! The Santa’s Workshop Advent Calendar contains 24 items for each day of Advent to form a gift that will keep on giving long after the holidays have passed.
$28.99 available at Mastermind Toys

DAVID’S TEA 24 Days of Tea
Count down the days with this tea-filled advent calendar. Each day is a new surprise with a selection of teas from the year round favourites, with new and returning holiday blends. Holiday blends include Eggnog, Sleigh Ride and Santa’s Secret. 24 days, 24 different teas!
$34.50

THE BODY SHOP Beauty Advent Calendar
Countdown to Christmas in skin-loving style with The Body Shop’s Beauty Advent Calendar. This extra-special treat features a beauty surprise behind every door, from best-selling body and face care to iconic fragrance, plus our latest additions: Glazed Apple, Wild Argan Oil and Colour Crush™ Nail Colours. Make it holiday every day!
$50.00

BENEFIT COSMETICS Advent Calendar
A limited-edition, holiday advent calendar filled with 24 mini beauty essentials. Get a beauty surprise everyday with this holiday countdown. Each day, open the sweet shop doors to reveal a Benefit bestseller or surprise gift. Keep it for yourself, or give it to a fellow beauty addict.
$119 available at Sephora

Kasie’s Homemade Advent Calendars

Good Cheer Advent Calendar
This easy-to-make creative project cost a whopping $6 for supplies at the local dollar-store (the branches came from the backyard).  It's fun for all ages and a great way to gather the family together to work on something that promotes caring and sharing this Christmas season.  On the reverse of each snowman or gingerbread man, is an idea or task for each day leading up to Christmas.  Ideas like, "Bake cookies and deliver to a neighbour", "Make a brother's bed", "Shovel someone's driveway", "Watch a holiday movie together", "Deliver food to the food bank", "Call an old friend"...  Simple, easy and definitely focuses on giving, rather than receiving.
 
25 Days of Care Package
For anyone who's living away this season, a great idea that's sure to bring 25 days of smiles to anyone's face, is to fill a box (something you can easily ship) with goodies and little gifts for each day leading up to Christmas.  For a female University student for example, the box I packed is filled with little dollar-store boxes containing $5 or $10 gift cards for their fave fro-yo and coffee shops, nail polish, gum, toiletries, homemade goodies, stamps (ahem, mail Mom a letter - retro style!), etc...  This is a great way to bring the holidays home and reduce holiday home-sickness.

"Wine not" Advent Calender
For the oenophile in your life (or the house that hosts a ton of Christmas parties), fill a wine rack with 24 crowd pleasing bottles and "cheers!" your way to the 25th one sweet sip at a time.  
1. Jackson-Triggs Entourage Brut Niagara – 2011 – toasting or cocktails
2. Jackson-Triggs Entourage Merlot Sparkling (Select Wine Rack stores, Winery & Online) Niagara – 2012 – aperitif, Cocktails, Dessert
3.  Inniskillin Sparkling Icewine Cabernet Franc – 2012 (Winery & Online) Niagara – Christmas Eve –w/ cheese – special to share with close family
4.  Inniskillin Pinot Noir Rose – 2013 –gift wrapping wine
5.  Jackson-Triggs Grand Reserve Riesling – 2013 – crowd pleaser
6.  Jackson-Triggs Gewurtztraminer 2012 – turkey wine
7.  Inniskillin Reserve Riesling – 2013 – bring to a potluck
8.  Jackson-Triggs Reserve Shiraz-Cabernet – 2013 – post-shopping wine
9.  Inniskillin Estate Series Chardonnay – 2012 – watching Christmas movies with popcorn
10.  Jackson-Triggs Grand Reserve Shiraz – 2012 – post skating party
11.  Jackson-Triggs Grand Reserve Pinot Noir – 2013 – Christmas dinner
12.  Jackson-Triggs Grand Reserve Red Meritage – 2012 – a Christmas roast
13.  Inniskillin Reserve Merlot – 2012 –last minute guests
14.  Inniskillin Single-Vineyard Series Montague Vineyard Chardonnay – 2013 - Gift To Your Boss
15.  Delaine by Jackson-Triggs Chardonnay – 2012 – bring to your cookie exchange
16.  Inniskillin Estate Series Late Autumn Riesling – 2013 – crowd pleaser
17.  Inniskillin Estate Series Merlot – 2010 – tree trimming
18.  Inniskillin Discovery Series P3 (Pinot Gris-Pinot Blanc-Pinot Noir Blend) (Select Wine Rack stores, Winery & Online) – 2013 – Leave a glass for Santa (it’s his favourite!)
19.  Jackson-Triggs Grand Reserve Chardonnay – 2013 – Cooking Christmas dinner
20.  Inniskillin Reserve Series Shiraz-Cabernet – 2012 – cold weather warm up
21.  Inniskillin Discovery Series Chenin Blanc – Okanagan – 2012 – baking Christmas goodies
22. Sunrock by Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Shiraz – 2011 – roasting by the fire
23. Inniskillin Okanagan Discovery Series Zinfandel 2011 – catching up with old friends
24. Inniskillin Niagara Cabernet Franc Icewine 2012 – a gift for yourself

Kasie Savage's blog can be found here!