Why should Christmas have all the countdown/advent calendar fun? Consider this little tree a neat way to share the love as you mark off the days from February 1st to the 14th!

First, you’ll need to select several branches from outside, and place them in any pretty vase you have in your home.

Ahead of time, I traced and cut out 14 hearts from patterned paper. Pinks and reds were a natural choice for background color.

Next, I numbered the hearts 1 through 14. This helps add a little math element to the project, with Travis selecting the right numbered heart each day we add it to the tree.

Travis was so excited because to finish the set up, we needed two grown-up tools that he adores (under careful supervision of course): the stapler and the hole punch.

First, we stapled a strip of pink construction paper to each heart.

Next, we punched a hole in the top corner of each heart.

We added little heart stickers to each one as a finishing touch. Feel free to decorate your hearts however you like! Cute pink or red buttons glued on would also be pretty.

Each morning starting February 1, have your child name someone they love or care about. Write the name on the strip of paper, slip a piece of thread through the hole in the heart, and hang from the tree.

Here’s the tree about halfway completed:

And here is our finished tree on the 14th!