This year Greg and I started a new Christmas tradition of the Advent Calendar! I ordered the above pictured wooden advent calendar box, and the idea is that each day December 1-24 has a small box labeled with that day’s number. Each day on a small slip of paper we write down what activity we will do together as a family to celebrate Christmas. This allows us to be intentional about how we spend our time during the busy month of December, and ensures that we are focusing on the four values we want to emphasize to our children at Christmastime: 1) family, 2) giving/serving, 3) learning truth, and 4) Jesus Christ.
We started this tradition to SIMPLIFY our lives. There are so many wonderful things to do at Christmastime, but often in the business of life many of our special traditions get forgotten or overlooked until the week before Christmas and then we try to cram them all in. Sometimes the amount of things we want to do feels a little overwhelming, but with this system we know exactly when we are going to fulfill all of our Christmas traditions. Whether it's baking Christmas cookies, reviewing the story of St. Nicholas, or going ice skating, we want to make sure we are being intentional about how we spend our holiday time.
Below are our advent calendar ideas for 2012. Feel free to adapt these ideas for your own family because every family's advent calendar will look a little different based on their values, traditions, children's ages, and location. In our family every Sunday night is family movie night, so we keep that tradition in December but with a little Christmas twist. Depending on where you live there are various free or inexpensive Christmas events to do, so check online for what's going on in your area.
Be intentional about you celebrate Christmas! :)
Saturday, December 1 – Visit “Hicks Nurseries Animated Christmas Story” & take pictures with Santa Clause
Sunday, December 2 – Make and decorate Christmas sugar cookies & eat them while watching “Elf”
Monday, December 3 – Make paper snowflakes for the windows
Tuesday, December 4 – Eat candy canes and Read “J is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told”
Wednesday, December 5 – Act out the Christmas story with our family’s nativity set
Thursday, December 6 – Read “The Story of St. Nicholas” and watch “Veggie Tales St. Nicholas” ·
Friday, December 7 – Participate in Gotta Dance Christmas show
Saturday, December 8 – Prepare and attend church’s Angel Tree Christmas party
Sunday, December 9 – Make popcorn balls and eat them while watching “Polar Express”
Monday, December 10 – Go ice skating from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at the “Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center”
Tuesday, December 11 – Make pine cone bird feeders
Wednesday, December 12 – Go to the store and purchase a Christmas gift for baby Isaac
Thursday, December 13 – Prepare Christmas gift treats for friends and neighbors
Friday, December 14 – Make and decorate gingerbread men cookies and watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
Saturday, December 15 – Attend “Fellowship of the Rings” Christmas party and cookie exchange
Sunday, December 16 – Eat Christmas cookies while watching “The Muppet Christmas Carol”
Monday, December 17 – Prepare Christmas candy canes and cards for school friends
Tuesday, December 18 – Drive through Bayport’s “Holiday Light Show - Let The Magic Begin!” from 5:00 – 9:00 PM ·
Wednesday, December 19 – Make Rice Krispie Christmas wreaths & eat them while watching “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”
Thursday, December 20 – Drive around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights
Friday, December 21 – Listen to Christmas songs and have a Christmas dance party
Saturday, December 22 – Have Christmas peppermint pancakes and visit the “Long Island Children’s Museum”
Sunday, December 23 – Drink hot cocoa and watch “A Nativity Story”
Monday, December 24 – Make a birthday cake for Jesus and attend our church’s Christmas Eve service
Tuesday, December 25 – Have a Merry Christmas!
We started this tradition to SIMPLIFY our lives. There are so many wonderful things to do at Christmastime, but often in the business of life many of our special traditions get forgotten or overlooked until the week before Christmas and then we try to cram them all in. Sometimes the amount of things we want to do feels a little overwhelming, but with this system we know exactly when we are going to fulfill all of our Christmas traditions. Whether it's baking Christmas cookies, reviewing the story of St. Nicholas, or going ice skating, we want to make sure we are being intentional about how we spend our holiday time.
Below are our advent calendar ideas for 2012. Feel free to adapt these ideas for your own family because every family's advent calendar will look a little different based on their values, traditions, children's ages, and location. In our family every Sunday night is family movie night, so we keep that tradition in December but with a little Christmas twist. Depending on where you live there are various free or inexpensive Christmas events to do, so check online for what's going on in your area.
Be intentional about you celebrate Christmas! :)
Saturday, December 1 – Visit “Hicks Nurseries Animated Christmas Story” & take pictures with Santa Clause
Sunday, December 2 – Make and decorate Christmas sugar cookies & eat them while watching “Elf”
Monday, December 3 – Make paper snowflakes for the windows
Tuesday, December 4 – Eat candy canes and Read “J is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told”
Wednesday, December 5 – Act out the Christmas story with our family’s nativity set
Thursday, December 6 – Read “The Story of St. Nicholas” and watch “Veggie Tales St. Nicholas” ·
Friday, December 7 – Participate in Gotta Dance Christmas show
Saturday, December 8 – Prepare and attend church’s Angel Tree Christmas party
Sunday, December 9 – Make popcorn balls and eat them while watching “Polar Express”
Monday, December 10 – Go ice skating from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at the “Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center”
Tuesday, December 11 – Make pine cone bird feeders
Wednesday, December 12 – Go to the store and purchase a Christmas gift for baby Isaac
Thursday, December 13 – Prepare Christmas gift treats for friends and neighbors
Friday, December 14 – Make and decorate gingerbread men cookies and watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
Saturday, December 15 – Attend “Fellowship of the Rings” Christmas party and cookie exchange
Sunday, December 16 – Eat Christmas cookies while watching “The Muppet Christmas Carol”
Monday, December 17 – Prepare Christmas candy canes and cards for school friends
Tuesday, December 18 – Drive through Bayport’s “Holiday Light Show - Let The Magic Begin!” from 5:00 – 9:00 PM ·
Wednesday, December 19 – Make Rice Krispie Christmas wreaths & eat them while watching “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”
Thursday, December 20 – Drive around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights
Friday, December 21 – Listen to Christmas songs and have a Christmas dance party
Saturday, December 22 – Have Christmas peppermint pancakes and visit the “Long Island Children’s Museum”
Sunday, December 23 – Drink hot cocoa and watch “A Nativity Story”
Monday, December 24 – Make a birthday cake for Jesus and attend our church’s Christmas Eve service
Tuesday, December 25 – Have a Merry Christmas!