Richie Wooden Advent Calendar with Light - Natural

Richie is a wooden advent calendar made of plywood, with 24 numbered drawers stepped in tiers beneath a small winter village. Each drawer front has its number cut through the wood and a round wooden knob to pull it open, so the countdown to Christmas Eve runs one drawer a day. Across the top sit gabled houses with snow-dusted roofs, fir trees, deer beside a little picket fence, a street lantern and two figures, one working at a sawhorse. The windows of the houses and the lantern light up. It measures 38cm long, 10cm wide and 33cm tall, and weighs 1KG.

At 10cm deep it sits on a windowsill, a mantelpiece, a sideboard or a hall shelf without crowding it, and at 33cm tall it reads from across the room. The drawers suit small, light things: a folded note, a riddle, a hair clip, a tiny ornament for the tree or a clue to a bigger present hidden elsewhere. Because it is wood rather than card, it is a calendar you fill yourself and bring out again each December, and the lit village gives a gentle glow as the afternoons draw in. We think it suits a family counting down together, or anyone who likes a small ritual each morning.

The body is 100% plywood: thin layers of wood veneer bonded together with the grain crossed, which keeps panels flat and stable for their weight. It is left in its natural finish, so the grain shows on every drawer front, and the panels lock together with tabs visible along the edges. The houses and trees are cut in fretwork, with snow picked out along the roofs and branches. The maker's assembly instructions come as a PDF download. For styling, give it a clear stretch of shelf or sill of its own and keep greenery low beside it, so the lit windows and the stepped rows of numbers stay in view.

Assembly instructions (PDF)

What is the Richie advent calendar made of?

It is made of 100% plywood, left in its natural finish so the wood grain shows on the drawers, the houses and the trees.

How many drawers does the advent calendar have?

It has 24 drawers numbered 1 to 24, each with a round wooden knob, so you open one a day up to Christmas Eve.

How big is it?

It is 38cm long, 10cm wide and 33cm tall and weighs 1KG, so it fits comfortably on a windowsill, mantelpiece or shelf.

Does it light up?

Yes. The windows of the little houses and the street lantern on top of the calendar light up, giving the winter village a soft glow.

What can I put in the drawers?

The drawers suit small, light things such as folded notes, riddles, hair clips, tiny tree ornaments or clues that lead to a bigger present.

What powers the light?

It runs on two AA batteries, which are not included, so have them ready before you set it out.