Fear not friends!
While today is December 1st, if you have yet to fill
your advent calendar, you are not alone.
I found that most of our activities fell within 6 categories:
craft
movie
event
silly
treat
giving
{Craft}
tree trimming, ornament decorating, snowglobe making
{Movies}
check out ABC Family's 25 days of Christmas programming guide
{Event}
zoo lights, polar express train ride, holiday town celebration
{Silly}
one of our favorites...
and another.
{Treat}
baking Christmas cookies, making Jesus a birthday cake,
celebrating any half birthdays during advent
{Giving}
simple acts of kindness
The organization of this list two dozen things just made it easier on me to add in our favorites and traditions, but also include some new things for the year.
For us the events usually fall on the weekend and the rest during the week, movies often on Friday nights. I also use the silly day on our busiest schedule day of the week, i.e. every Wednesday is silly day.
1. zoo holiday lights celebration
2. mail letters to Santa
3. read about the candy cane and enjoy one as a special treat
4. {movie night} jack frost and ice cream sundaes for dessert
5. do something special for someone in our family to say "I love you"
6. make and decorate ornaments
7. town christmas celebration and tree lighting
8. polar express to the north pole
9. make snowglobes
10. spreed some cheer to our neighbors
11. find mom for a silly break
12. gaze at the same stars and moon as they did on the night of Jesus' birth
13. make candy cane playdough
14. holiday lights drive and slumber party by the christmas tree
15. family bowling
16. half birthday treat and church christmas pageant
17. {movie night} gather all the Whos in Whoville to watch how the grinch stole christmas
18. a silly surprise will appear before your very eyes, say frosty 3 times!
19. {movie night} polar express and hot! hot! hot! chocolate bar
20. write down your gift to Jesus this year and place in our special box
21. dinner by candlelight to mark the longest night of the year
22. make your favorite cookie for santa
23. bake Jesus' birthday cake
24. Christmas Eve! open your WEAR present
In addition to this family focused advent calendar,
We also do a Christmas book advent every night like this one.
While my boys are not quite ready for a full on
charitable advent calendar I love these 25 ways to pay it forward.
What are some of your family's favorite advent traditions?
peace,
:: michelle ::
Love the Family focused Advent! Last year we started a service one and the kids really seemed to enjoy it. Although the service might not have ALWAYS been performed on that day...it sure helped them think of others than themselves!
ReplyDeleteI didn't post where my idea came from because I couldn't remember, but I found it! We made this Clipboard from Eighteen25
ReplyDeletehttp://eighteen25.blogspot.com/2010/11/christmas-advents-countdown-clipboard.html
And then just added on the backs of the numbers...the service the kids are to do. Ours is posted on my blog here
http://www.theoregonducks.blogspot.com/2011/12/super-busy-day-homeschool.html