With Christmas quickly approaching ( Along with Halloween and Thanksgiving ;) its time to start getting things in order. I am a list junky!! So add that with my love for Christmas and you have a crazed, Christmas obsessed woman! Even as a kid Ive never been a fan of the little advent calenders you get from the store with the stale, plastic tasting chocolates in them, so of course i never got them for my kids. but i do believe in celebrating and taking advantage of this (what seems to be too short) Christmas Holiday! Ive seen a few activity advent calenders online, but just like this one...they were made to suit their own family. So i put together this one of activities our family does during this time of the year, along with other activities that might inspire you :)
North Pole Breakfast:
Every year we start the month of December off with a North Pole Breakfast. We pretty much decorate our table with Christmas plates and cups..drink egg nog or hot cocoa and just enjoy a nice family breakfast
PJ and Christmas Movie Day
Write letters to Santa
Decorate your own Christmas plate or hot cocoa mug:
use sharpies or ceramic markers to decorate plates or mugs from the dollar store. Bake at 350 for 30 mins!
Make Paper chain (great to decorate kids rooms or guest rooms)
make popcorn garland
Hot Cocoa bar:
Get out the hot cocoa mugs, hot chocolate and all the works! let everyone mix up their own cocoa and top with marshmallows, whipped cream, candy canes, sprinkles..or your own family favorite topping.
Secret Santa Drawing:
Have everyone draw names for secret Santa and take a trip to the mall or dollar store. If you dont do secret Santa, Take a trip to the store and have everyone pick out a toy to donate to the toy drive.
Christmas Cleaning:
Time to clean out the closet to make room for new toys. Have your kids (or you) go through toys and decide what they want, dont want, dont play with or toys that are broken. "Pay" them for whatever toys they decide to donate and go dollar store shopping! let them pick out gifts for their favorite family member, a friend or for the toy drive. Moms also take this time to prepare for out of town Christmas guests.
Drive or walk around looking at Christmas lights in your neighborhood
Make Christmas treats:
chocolate dipped pretzels, cookies, fudge, cake pops...need i say more??
Gift your Christmas treats:
use this time to teach your kids to give back to people. package up to treats(and/or) hot cocoa and give to neighbors, drop some off at a firehouse or police station, bring some to a person who works in the cold.
Christmas Coloring/ Activity pages
Read Christmas stories
Make Christmas cards for family and friends
family game night
Go to see Santa
have a special Mommy and Me lunch
Make your own egg nog or apple cider
Make paper snow flakes
Decorate Gingerbread houses:
We decorated our 1st ginger bread house last year and it was a HUGE waste of money. No one ate it! So this year we will be decorating rice krispy houses.
Christmas Movie Night- Christmas movies with Christmas Treats
Christmas potluck/Christmas party
Make cookies for Santa
Christmas PJ shopping
Homemade Gift party:
Gather your friends or kids, and all your craft supplies and make Christmas presents this year! Pintrest has TONS of homemade gifts from body scrubs, cookies in a jar, homemade candles...ect. also shop around the dollar section at the craft store. an unfinished frame, piece of scrapbook paper and modge pog makes a cute frame :)
"Everybodies" family dinner
everyone picks someone to make for dinner and enjoy all the options! Mom will enjoy the relief of not having to cook a whole dinner alone, and the kids will love helping to make their fav. foods. i already know my son will be wanting to make Mac and Cheese...and im sure my husband will whip up some pb&j!
Help in your community:
help pass snacks or feed at a nursing home, shovel your neighbors snow, ring the bell for the guy outside of the store, play for someone lunch, play games or craft with children in the hospital...theirs so many things to do for people in need, and your kids will love doing something they dont normally do. i already know my son is going to go crazy when he gets to ring the bell at the store!
Community Events:
Im sure your town has something special to celebrate Christmas. Whether its a Christmas program at the church, a craft fair, Christmas parade. Whatever it is, get out and enjoy it!
Christmas Cookie Exchange:
Ive always wanted to have one of these parties! Everyone brings their favorite Christmas cookie (or treat), they recipe of what they brought, and an empty container to take cookies home in.
I hope this gives you and your family some inspiration on new family traditions!
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