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!

Arrived on time. Item as described! This is so amazing. Heavy duty magnets. Beautiful design. Great quality. This thing is huge. So appropriate for my three year old son. Great price for it. Can use every holiday season. Love it

High quality, perfect size, will be great as kids get older.

I got four of these for my home as well as my children/grandchildren's homes, and they are TOTAL HITS!!! Oldest grandchild is nearly ten, and found it as entertaining as the "small fry" down to two years old! The kids were making up games with the magnet-ornaments, as well as using them as "cookies" for their "baking", plus choosing their favorites, then changing their minds to name different favorites two seconds later. The colors are perfect for Christmas, and there is some MAJOR learning going on very sneakily--counting, arranging, etc. Well worth the price for the hours of amusement!

What a fun Advent Calendar! Though we didn't use it as such, but more as a "Let's decorate the Christmas tree toy". It was so much fun and the kids loved to decorate it over and over. Easy to use, easy to store, sturdy and very colorful. The magnets stay on nicely and each has a different design. Another great toy by Melissa and Doug.

My toddler is almost 3. She had zero interest in the countdown aspect, but she started "decorating" the tree immediately. It turns out this tree is multipurpose and can also be used as a toddler tree for an older toddler. The tree itself is small and cute. Overall, I like the tree. My only complaint is the quality of the ornaments. Some of the magnetic backing is coming off.

Melissa and Doug always make good products. This one was pretty simple and was purchased for a one and two year-old who enjoy it. Older kids put it on a tree.

Bought this for my grandkids. Ages 3 years and 9 months. Don’t recommend this for the 9 month old. Fun for kids of all ages but the magnetic ornaments are a little small and could be a chocking hazard for little busy toddlers that love to put everything in their mouth. All pieces were included and over all it was a good value for the money.