Christmas Dachshund Advent Calendar

About this calendar

Twenty-four numbered doors, and behind each one a small dachshund in a different outfit with a loop on top. The calendar empties and the tree fills. By the twenty-fourth there is a row of little dogs hanging on a branch rather than a heap of packaging and a chocolate wrapper, which is the trade this calendar is making.

The ornaments

Twenty-four different pups with no repeats. Artists, astronauts and other small personalities, each painted and finished, each with its own loop. They are ornament sized rather than toy sized, which means they are for hanging and looking at rather than for playing with, and the painted finish is the part worth protecting. The detail sits in the outfits rather than the size: scarves, hats and props that still read clearly at ornament scale.

The order it goes in

Open the door with today's number and hang what you find. Leaving the rest closed is the entire discipline of an advent calendar, and the numbers are printed to be read at a glance from standing height, so nobody has to open two doors to work out which one they should have had. The box is meant to be stood up rather than laid flat, which keeps the numbers the right way round as it empties.

Where they hang

A tree, a wreath, a length of ribbon along a wall. The loops are like any bauble loop, so they go wherever an ornament goes. If you would rather keep the set intact, they can stand in a row on a shelf instead, though the loops make more sense on a tree. Two on a wreath and three on a tree is about the usual arrangement by the middle of the month.

Who it suits

People who already have a dachshund, and people who have been given dachshund things for years by relatives who ran out of ideas. It is also flat enough to post as a gift, which is how a lot of them travel, and it survives the post better than anything with glass in it. It also suits the person who says they do not want anything, which is most of the people this gets bought for.

Specifications

Type	Advent calendar with hanging ornaments
Doors	24 numbered days
Ornaments	24 different dachshund designs
Fixings	A loop on each ornament

How it is used

1. One door a day

   The countdown only works if the rest stay shut.

2. Straight onto the tree

   Open it, hang it, and the tree grows through December.

3. Or on a wreath

   Same loop, different display.

4. Kept after December

   Ornaments store flat and come back out next year.

In the box

• 1 x dachshund advent calendar

Care

Hang them rather than stacking them, because painted finishes suffer most when ornaments are piled into a box. A soft brush for dust, and keep them off a radiator, which will soften the paint over a winter.

Common questions