1. Make a paper chain to count down to Christmas.
2. Pop gourmet popcorn and watch a Christmas movie.
3. Go to Temple Square and the planetarium.
4. Open Present #1.
5. Read some of Isaiah’s prophesies of the Savior. (Isa. 53)
6. Begin Reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
7. Make Grandma Hendricks’ Christmas cookies.
8. Make homemade snowflakes.
9. Open present # 2
10. Go to the ward Christmas party.
11. Read Christ’s gift exchange with the Nephites 3 Ne 17.
12. Make toffee and deliver it to neighbors.
13. Read a Christmas story.
14. Open present #3
15. Sing favorite Christmas carols.
16. Read about Christ’s miracles in the New Testament.
17. Go to see the lights and nativity down the street.
18. Go to Grandpa’s Christmas concert.
19. Read about the Wiseman following the star. Look at stars in the telescope.
20. Play a family game.
21. Make homemade hot chocolate.
22. Read Samuel the Lamanite’s prophesies of Christ’s birth and death.
23. Read Luke 2.
24. Have a special FHE and open presents #4.
What are some of your holiday activities? I know some of you do an advent calendar as well,
because I stole the idea from you. :) Do you have a favorite activity? Something else my
kids love is hiding the salt dough pickle ornament in the Christmas tree everyday. They all
love to find the pickle and take a turn hiding it. My brother introduced us to this idea a few
years ago.
Do you have a favorite tradition? This is such a fun time of year, I love to hear of everyone's ideas.
6 comments:
Great idea for your advent calendar! I have no good ideas and there's very little to do here in this town at this time of year. I'd certainly like to come up with some traditions for our family though, especially since we'll be alone this Christmas and not see any family or friends. I need to really buck up and come up with something.
A couple of our traditions are:
1) a couple of days before Christmas we take the homemade treats and goodies we've baked and deliver to friends, family, and neighbors.
2) I take the kids to the store to pick out a new toy to donate
3) This isn't one we've done before but I LOVE the idea which I came across this year - one of our activities for our calendar is to eat DESSERT first at dinnertime.\
Loved your ideas and will definitely be incorporating some of them. :)
We have been doing an advent calendar but differently than you (candy - then a scripture, song,and Christmas story) I love how you have a planned family activity every day. Those are a lot of good ideas! I really like #8 and #19. I wish I had some ideas to add to yours - but you already do everything I can think of - and more! Thanks for posting this! I want to plan family activities everyday next year too. (we also have a pickle - hopefully Sam and Shayla will enjoy it one day like your kids).
The presents they open - are they family gifts, or individual gifts?
The present days are usually simple family gifts. This year we gave them the Little People's nativity, so Miles and Elly have a child friendly nativity to play with. The rest of the presents are pistachios, a simple family card game, and last pajamas. Last year for one of the gifts I gave pillow cases.
A few years ago my brother and sister-in-law did 12 days of Christmas for our family. It was so exciting for the kids to open a new present everyday. It was the Christmas right after my mom died, so it was greatly appreciated to watch my kids get so excited, when I was still grieving and struggling. To replace the 12 days I started this advent calendar the next year and I kept 4 presents for each child to have something to open.
I like that idea of family gifts throughout December - spreads out the excitement of gift opening. I may adopt that idea too. I also remember you saying you make a homemade gift each year for your kids and I really like that idea too. If I can find what I need I think I'd like to make some peg dolls for Shayla and one of these (http://www.etsy.com/listing/81743006/taggie-modern-tropical-ribbon-toy) for Sam. Thanks for sharing all of your great ideas!
We do the pickle in the tree too.
It is an old German tradition.
Lynn hides it every year and then
whoever finds it gets a special gift.Last year Lynn hid it so well that nobody found it.
I love your advent activities ideas. that may have to be a new tradition at our house next year.
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