THE countdown to December is well and truly on and with it comes a new challenge for many homes ahead of Christmas.

The tradition of advent windows has been growing in the UK but in 2020 it took off faster than Santa's sleigh as homes attempted to spread some festive cheer after a difficult year.

Donations raised from the window displays helped replace the funds lost from cancelled school Christmas fairs and other charity fundraisers.

And it's thought after becoming so popular last year, many more homes will get involved in 2021.

So if you have been recently added to an 'Advent window' WhatsApp group and don't know where to start, here's everything you need to know.

What are advent calendar windows?

This is when a group of houses decorate their front windows with Christmas scenes to mark the period of Advent and the countdown to Christmas. 

Each home is assigned a number to display but other than that can decorate their window however they like.

Anything else I need to do?

If you're really organised or want to turn it into a fundraiser for your school or a nearby charity, you could print maps for families to follow an 'ADVENTure trail' around your area.

Or set up a Facebook group for people to share their pictures as they tick off each house.

We would also love to see any pictures you take too!

I'm going to need some inspiration before I get started..

There's plenty of ideas on Pinterest and Instagram but here's a few good ones we've spotted