A CLASSIC, REDESIGNED MY WAY! (See video below) (Patreon)

UPDATE 2026-10-10: Little kitty added to the files! See last picture below:)

Hello friends!

Last year, a member here asked me to create my own version of a popular Advent calendar design where Santa Claus descends through a chimney.

Since I was stuck on my major design project for the month, I took a few hours to model this one for you!

(NOTE: THE WHOLE SET OF PHOTOS IS COMPLETELY AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST AND THE ZIP FILE CONTAINING ALL THE STL FILES IS JUST BELOW THE PHOTOS.)

It’s a beautiful, substantial model. The fireplace unit (excluding Santa) stands 295mm tall once assembled. Charming details—like gifts and a little dog warming itself by the hearth—add a touch of magic to the scene.

For this countdown, I chose a "Nights Before Christmas" format, and the whole thing can be illuminated with a battery-operated tea light, just like many of my other designs.

It features 24 numbered rods, counting down from 24 to 1. You start the countdown on December 1st and remove one rod each subsequent morning. By December 24th, only one night remains—represented by the rod numbered "1"—and then, on the morning of the 25th, Santa arrives at the bottom of the chimney!

As you can see, a drawer is also included to store the numbered rods. To open the drawer, there is a small slot on the right side of the base. Simply insert the rod you just removed from the countdown into the slot to push the drawer open, allowing you to store the rod inside.

In terms of printability, this project is straightforward, just like my others. Only one piece requires supports—and very minimal ones at that: the dog needs supports for its ear. That’s it. Everything else prints without any supports. The project is, of course, compatible with "mini" format printers. So, there are no issues printing it on those machines, making the project suitable for all printer types.

IMPORTANT: Like many of my projects, some parts require color changes at specific layers. Most involve just two colors, but Santa is a bit trickier. I’ve listed the layer numbers for each color below to help you print Santa. These settings apply to a 0.12mm layer height:

Start with beige

At layer 11, change to red

At layer 16, change to white

At layer 21, change to black

And finally, at layer 26, change back to beige.

Also, one part requires the "fuzzy skin" setting: the snow at the top of the chimney. You can use whatever fuzzy skin settings you prefer.

A Bambu Lab file is also included with all settings pre-configured. Regarding color changes: remember that you must slice the build plate first to see where the color changes apply, as they are layer-based rather than "painted" on.

I believe I’ve covered all the necessary details in the instructions. Be sure to review them before starting your project so you have a clear picture of the whole process. As always, I recommend doing a "dry fit" (assembling without glue) to see how the parts align and to plan your assembly steps.

I won't take up any more of your time—I’m heading back to another design that’s really making me rack my brain!

Have fun, everyone! I’ll be back soon with more content!

Take care, and thanks to all of you for your continued support!

Pascal

UPDATE: Kitty added!:

HERE'S THE ZIP FILE WITH ALL THE STL FILES 👇