advent calendar

Well, Halloween is done, and we are moving on to my main obsession for the year- Christmas. I have been looking around to help my brain think of Crafts for the kids to do leading up to Christmas. No, we have not started any of these, but I plan and prepare, so I am trying to figure everything out. Anyways... I came across this GREAT idea, on my new obsession- pinterest. Basically, it is a family fun advent calendar. You can make the advent calendar, or put these little notes in envelopes, etc. What ever way you decide to present it works. I just like all the family time, leading up to the craziness, and wanted to share....

So, I have started ours. Because we see Santa on the 26th of November (to make that day a good day- bad memories in the past on the 26th). I decided to start with 30 days before Christmas. You could start with what ever works for you. I have written out my list of activities to do for each day. Then I am going to write them on some paper, and make it Christmasy with a sticker or something. Then, we have a long hanging snowman countdown, which I have always just put a candy cane in, and we have moved it each day. BUT- I will be using the pockets of that to hold each little activity note.

Each day, the kids will alternate, and when they get up in the morning they can pick the card out of that day, and that is what we will do that day. I wanted to share this now, just incase people wanted to borrow it and do their own. I have 30 activities, some have to do with the city we are in, but feel free to borrow any of the ideas!

Our 30 activities
1 (starting on Friday November 25th)- Do Christmas Cards (the kids are helping me this year)
2. Go to the Mall and see Santa
3. Decorate the house
4. Write and Mail our letters to Santa
5. Make some home made decorations (you can buy kits, or make salt dough ornaments)
6. Take some food to the food bank
7. Make a Christmas CD
8. Go over to the post office and mail our Christmas Cards
9. Put up and decorate the Christmas tree
10. Bake Christmas cookies
11. Make a wreath (you can make an actual one, or craft one- handprints etc.)
12. Make paper snowflakes
13. Make a gingerbread house
14. Shopping- pick out a gift for a child in need- drop at toy mountain
15. Colour Christmas pictures
16. Go to the Zoo lights
17. Christmas movie night!
18. Make bird seed snack hangers (for the birds outside)
19. Build a snowmand
20. Take gifts to teachers
21. Make hot chocolate
22. Go for a drive to look at lights
23. Go to Heritage park
24. Bake cookies/treats for Santa
25. Do Jib Jab and send to friends/family
26. Colour a picture for Santa
27. Christmas story day- read some and make our own
28. Pick up Grandma
29. Look on Norad and see if Santa is ready
30 Read The Night Before Christmas!

If anyone has any other activities to add, or suggest to others, just leave a comment! Hope you all enjoy, and are looking forward to a great holiday season!