A grid of twenty four numbered boxes, four across and six down. Each box has its number in the corner, a short rule beside it for the date, and two writing lines underneath for whatever is happening that day. The 25 setting adds a wide box across the foot headed Christmas Day.
You write it, which is the point
Nothing is printed inside the boxes. The family fills them in: a film, a carol service, baking, the school play, writing cards, a walk to see the lights, nothing at all on the days when nothing should happen.
Two lines per box is enough for a plan and a time and no more, which keeps the sheet honest. A box that can only hold six words does not end up carrying an itinerary nobody has time for.
Twenty four or twenty five
The boxes control switches between twenty four and twenty five. Twenty four runs to Christmas Eve, which is what most families want, because the 25th plans itself. Twenty five keeps the same grid and adds a twenty fifth box across the foot of the sheet, numbered 25 with Christmas Day under it and two full width lines to write on.
The short rule beside each number is for the date. Writing the dates in rather than having them printed means a sheet started on the 6th still works, and nobody feels behind on the first day.
Crossing them off
The boxes are drawn as plain outlines with hairline rules inside, so a thick cross through a finished day reads clearly from across the room. That is the whole mechanism: write it, do it, cross it off.
On 160gsm card the sheet survives a month on a fridge door. On ordinary paper it curls at the corners within a fortnight, which is fine if it is going on a wall with tape at all four corners.
Questions
- How many boxes does the Christmas countdown have?
- Twenty four as it opens, laid out four across and six down. The control above the sheet switches to twenty five, which keeps the grid and adds a wide twenty fifth box across the foot headed Christmas Day.
- Is anything printed inside the boxes?
- No. Each box has its number, a short rule for the date and two writing lines, and the rest is left for you to fill in. Nothing is suggested, so the sheet fits whatever your December actually looks like.
- Can I start it part way through December?
- Yes. The dates are written in by hand rather than printed, so a sheet started on the 5th or the 10th still makes sense. Number the boxes you are using and leave the rest crossed through.
- What paper should I print it on?
- Card at around 160gsm if it is going on a fridge or a door for the month, because ordinary paper curls at the corners within a couple of weeks. Plain paper is fine for a sheet in a folder.