Paper Forest Advent Calendar

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Hello, December! And so the merry countdown to the holidays officially begins. Did you know this is also the last month of the DECADE? It kind of makes me want to slow down and savor this season a bit more -- perhaps check a few more boxes off my holiday bucket list and close out the decade on a memorable note.

At the top of my bucket list? I've always longed to go ice skating in Rockefeller Center at Christmastime. Despite not being a huge lover of crowds or particularly graceful on skates, I think it'd be a magical memory to make, especially now that I have little ones. I'd also love to rent a cottage one day in The Cotswolds (a lá Kate Winslet's stone house in The Holiday), and spend the holidays all cozied up in the countryside. What about you -- do you have a holiday bucket list?

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Since the busy weeks leading up to the holidays can tend to blur together, an advent calendar is a sure way to pause and acknowledge each day of the fleeting season. It doesn't have to be filled with just sweets -- why not a holiday bucket list with little notes suggesting one festive thing to do each day? Perhaps Rockefeller Center and The Cotswolds are a bit ambitious, but smaller doesn't mean less memorable -- building a snowman, driving around to look at lights, sipping hot cocoa by the fire -- these are all great opportunities for merrymaking.

I created this paper forest advent calendar for Hunker as a nod to the natural surfaces you'd find in a home -- wood and stone. It's modern, neutral, and can work with most decor styles. A few sprigs of evergreen add a festive forest feel. The full details can be found here. Happy December!