An Alternative to Christmas/Advent Chocolate Calendars

I know this isn't about cooking, but as the holidays approach, mainly Christmas, I have to find ways to keep Precious Butterfly involved too, just because she's allergic to Milk, Eggs, and Rice doesn't mean she cannot participate.

So, it's almost December and that means the count down to Christmas and the birth of Jesus!!!!  My kids and I go to church just about every Sunday, there a few times here and there that we don't attend (usually due to sickness in the family).  Anyways, when my sister and I were little our parents bought those Advent Calendars that had the little windows that we open each day and get a small chocolate.  This year my mom bought one for Little Man, but didn't get one for Precious Butterfly (Precious Butterfly can't have the chocolates due to her dairy allergies) so I decided to come up with a special treat for her to count down to Christmas. 

So I've been looking all over the place to find a way for her to get to do a count down to Christmas.  I finally found on that I like and just in time since tomorrow is December 1st! I like to call it the Count Down to Christmas Craft.  I printed the blank one and colored it myself.  After coloring it, I assembled it following the directions on the web page.  After assembling it I glued it to a piece of construction paper so the it would be sturdier and less of a chance that it would rip.  Here's a photo of it completely put together:

 

I am planning on adding cotton balls to his hat's pom and probably to the brim where's it's normally white.  Then starting tomorrow I will help Precious Butterfly glue on a cotton ball each day to Santa's beard so that she can count down to Christmas too!  It's an alternative if you'd rather not give your kids chocolate or if they are allergic to regular chocolate.