I've seen some really cute countdown calendars for December. I'm making my own, but this is the BEST list I've found so far: (Here's her blog)
Deck the halls! - Decorate, put up a tree, hang some tinsel. Get decking!
Take photos for Christmas cards - Good thing it's at the top of the list, am I right? Eh? EH?
Buy a new Christmas album and listen to it - Or, for us, YouTube the She & Him Christmas album and put it on a play list...
Make the house smell like Christmas - I have a candle that smells like apples, and another that smells like cinnamon. I think that's Christmas-y enough.
Make Christmas Cards - My girls LOVE making cards. Good thing I do too.
Read a Christmas Story Book - Or something about snow. Or polar bears!
Wrap Christmas Gifts - My girls love wrapping presents too. We wrap with newspaper and then they get to decorate the paper themselves. It's pretty cute, actually.
Make a new Christmas Decoration - Snowflakes, paper poinsettias, pinecones with glitter... Whatever it takes. Check these bad boys out: Fett Flake
Color a Christmas picture - Free printables online. Or draw your own!
Build a snowman or hang up paper snowflakes - If you don't have snow, I'm sorry. But ice cream snowmen would be just as fun. Vanilla ice cream, three scoops stacked. Use round candies for the buttons, cookies and Reese's for his hat, a chocolate-covered sunflower seed for his nose, pretzels for his arms, and chocolate syrup for his scarf. Nerds work for his face. Bam. Edible snow man.
Make hot chocolate and stir with candy canes - I love doing this with the Hershey's chocolate mint candy canes or a spoon dipped in melted chocolate and covered with sprinkles. Isn't that just fun to say? SPRINKLES!
Make a treat and take it to a friend - Rice Krispie treats with red and green sprinkles are easiest. We made some last year and used cookie cutters for fun shapes.
Watch a christmas movie and eat popcorn - Good snuggle time with your kids. If you're lucky, they'll zonk out early. {:
Go out for a Christmas treat - You could go to that local place with the amazing cupcakes, or scoop up some clean snow and add some slushie syrup.
Do something nice for someone - Shovel someone's walk way, take some blankets to a local shelter, donate gently used toys or clothes, sing carols at the old folk's home... Possibilities are endless.
Drive around and look for Christmas lights - Go to where the rich people live. Seriously. {:
Go visit Santa Clause - He's got to be somewhere, whether it's the Macy's, the mall, or your nearby WalMart. Keep your eyes peeled.
Do service for someone in need - Service is like peeing your pants. Everyone can see what you've done, but you are the only one with the warm feeling.
Have a campout in front of the Christmas tree - My husband's family used to do this every year. We did it last year. I refuse to do it again. Well, just not on Christmas eve...
Call grandma and grandpa and sing a Christmas song - We call family members on their birthdays and sing to them, so I'm sure my girls will love this.
Take gifts to teachers and friends - Homemade gifts are so fun. It keeps everyone busy, and then kids get to learn how great it feels to give.
Read a story or watch a movie about the birth of Baby Jesus - Matthew 1 and Luke 2
Make cookies and write letters for Santa Clause - I may have this be two different days, just in case I decide to make the cookies on my own...
Read "The Night Before Christmas" - We actually read Luke 2 after this, but you get the picture.
Deck the halls! - Decorate, put up a tree, hang some tinsel. Get decking!
Buy a new Christmas album and listen to it - Or, for us, YouTube the She & Him Christmas album and put it on a play list...
Make the house smell like Christmas - I have a candle that smells like apples, and another that smells like cinnamon. I think that's Christmas-y enough.
Make Christmas Cards - My girls LOVE making cards. Good thing I do too.
Read a Christmas Story Book - Or something about snow. Or polar bears!
Wrap Christmas Gifts - My girls love wrapping presents too. We wrap with newspaper and then they get to decorate the paper themselves. It's pretty cute, actually.
Make a new Christmas Decoration - Snowflakes, paper poinsettias, pinecones with glitter... Whatever it takes. Check these bad boys out: Fett Flake
Color a Christmas picture - Free printables online. Or draw your own!
Build a snowman or hang up paper snowflakes - If you don't have snow, I'm sorry. But ice cream snowmen would be just as fun. Vanilla ice cream, three scoops stacked. Use round candies for the buttons, cookies and Reese's for his hat, a chocolate-covered sunflower seed for his nose, pretzels for his arms, and chocolate syrup for his scarf. Nerds work for his face. Bam. Edible snow man.
Make hot chocolate and stir with candy canes - I love doing this with the Hershey's chocolate mint candy canes or a spoon dipped in melted chocolate and covered with sprinkles. Isn't that just fun to say? SPRINKLES!
Make a treat and take it to a friend - Rice Krispie treats with red and green sprinkles are easiest. We made some last year and used cookie cutters for fun shapes.
Watch a christmas movie and eat popcorn - Good snuggle time with your kids. If you're lucky, they'll zonk out early. {:
Go out for a Christmas treat - You could go to that local place with the amazing cupcakes, or scoop up some clean snow and add some slushie syrup.
Do something nice for someone - Shovel someone's walk way, take some blankets to a local shelter, donate gently used toys or clothes, sing carols at the old folk's home... Possibilities are endless.
Drive around and look for Christmas lights - Go to where the rich people live. Seriously. {:
Go visit Santa Clause - He's got to be somewhere, whether it's the Macy's, the mall, or your nearby WalMart. Keep your eyes peeled.
Do service for someone in need - Service is like peeing your pants. Everyone can see what you've done, but you are the only one with the warm feeling.
Have a campout in front of the Christmas tree - My husband's family used to do this every year. We did it last year. I refuse to do it again. Well, just not on Christmas eve...
Call grandma and grandpa and sing a Christmas song - We call family members on their birthdays and sing to them, so I'm sure my girls will love this.
Take gifts to teachers and friends - Homemade gifts are so fun. It keeps everyone busy, and then kids get to learn how great it feels to give.
Read a story or watch a movie about the birth of Baby Jesus - Matthew 1 and Luke 2
Make cookies and write letters for Santa Clause - I may have this be two different days, just in case I decide to make the cookies on my own...
Read "The Night Before Christmas" - We actually read Luke 2 after this, but you get the picture.
Isn't that a great list? I LOVE it. And I'm so excited to do these things with my kids.
Are you making an advent calendar? What other things would you put on your list?
We did advent calendars something like that this year... we threw some treats in for good measure, but it sure is nice to have the kids do something that gets us all involved :)
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