Our family has an advent box – each day December 1-24 has a small box labeled with that day’s number. (Advent calendars are available online, at Target, or you can simply make one yourself using inexpensive paper chains or another method.) 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. For more Christian Christmas traditions see my post on Redeeming 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 2013. 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! :)
Sunday, December 1 – Make paper snowflakes for the windows, go to the movie theater to see Disney’s “Frozen” movie, & receive Christmas Pajamas
Monday, December 2 – Purchase gifts for hospitalized and Angel Tree children & learn about and sing the carol Angels We Have Heard on High
Tuesday, December 3 – Prepare Christmas coffee gifts for friends and neighbors & learn about and sing the carol Joy to the World
Wednesday, December 4 – Read The Story of St. Nicholas, watch “Veggie Tales St. Nicholas,” & learn about and sing the carol Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Thursday, December 5 – Act out the Christmas story with our family’s nativity set & learn about and sing the carol O Little Town of Bethlehem
Friday, December 6 – Watch “Polar Express” & learn about and sing the carol The First Noel
Saturday, December 7 – Visit “Hicks Nurseries Animated Christmas Story,” attend Gotta Dance Christmas Show, & learn about and sing the carol Away in a Manger
Sunday, December 8 – Make and decorate sugar cookies, watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” & learn about and sing the carol While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
Monday, December 9 – Go ice skating from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at the “Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center”
Tuesday, December 10 – Decorate gingerbread men cookies (MOPS friends coming in the morning too!) & learn about and sing the carol Silent Night! Holy Night!
Wednesday, December 11 – Prepare Christmas presents and cards for school friends & learn about and sing the carol Once in Royal David’s City
Thursday, December 12 – Prepare and wrap Christmas gifts for Daddy and Grandpa & learn about and sing the carol How Great Our Joy!
Friday, December 13 – Make popcorn balls and eat them while watching “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” & learn about and sing the carol God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
Saturday, December 14 – Grocery shop for a Christmas dinner for a needy family and place food in a donation bin & learn about and sing the carol O Come, All Ye Faithful
Sunday, December 15 – Make green Rice Krispie Christmas wreaths & watch “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"
Monday, December 16 – Purchase and wrap a Christmas gift for Mommy
Tuesday, December 17 – Eat candy canes and read J is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told & read Luke 1:26-38 - Birth of Jesus Foretold to Mary
Wednesday, December 18 – Deliver Christmas treats to neighbors & read Luke 1:39-46 - Mary Visits Elizabeth
Thursday, December 19 – Go to the Milleridge Inn for a Christmas Dinner and walk around the Milleridge cottage shops & read Matthew 1:18-25 - Birth of Jesus Foretold to Joseph
Friday, December 20 – Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies, watch “The Santa Clause,” & read Luke 2:1-7 - Birth of Jesus Christ
Saturday, December 21 – Have Christmas peppermint pancakes and attend “English Families Fellowship” Christmas party
Sunday, December 22 – Decorate a gingerbread house, drink hot cocoa, watch “A Nativity Story,” & read Luke 2:8-21 - Shepherds Visit Jesus
Monday, December 23 – Visit the “Long Island Children’s Museum,” drive around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights & read Matthew 2:1-12 - Wisemen Visit Jesus
Tuesday, December 24 –Make a birthday cake for Jesus, read My Birthday, Jesus’ Birthday, & attend our church’s Christmas Eve service
Wednesday, 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 2013. 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! :)
Sunday, December 1 – Make paper snowflakes for the windows, go to the movie theater to see Disney’s “Frozen” movie, & receive Christmas Pajamas
Monday, December 2 – Purchase gifts for hospitalized and Angel Tree children & learn about and sing the carol Angels We Have Heard on High
Tuesday, December 3 – Prepare Christmas coffee gifts for friends and neighbors & learn about and sing the carol Joy to the World
Wednesday, December 4 – Read The Story of St. Nicholas, watch “Veggie Tales St. Nicholas,” & learn about and sing the carol Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Thursday, December 5 – Act out the Christmas story with our family’s nativity set & learn about and sing the carol O Little Town of Bethlehem
Friday, December 6 – Watch “Polar Express” & learn about and sing the carol The First Noel
Saturday, December 7 – Visit “Hicks Nurseries Animated Christmas Story,” attend Gotta Dance Christmas Show, & learn about and sing the carol Away in a Manger
Sunday, December 8 – Make and decorate sugar cookies, watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” & learn about and sing the carol While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
Monday, December 9 – Go ice skating from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at the “Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center”
Tuesday, December 10 – Decorate gingerbread men cookies (MOPS friends coming in the morning too!) & learn about and sing the carol Silent Night! Holy Night!
Wednesday, December 11 – Prepare Christmas presents and cards for school friends & learn about and sing the carol Once in Royal David’s City
Thursday, December 12 – Prepare and wrap Christmas gifts for Daddy and Grandpa & learn about and sing the carol How Great Our Joy!
Friday, December 13 – Make popcorn balls and eat them while watching “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” & learn about and sing the carol God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
Saturday, December 14 – Grocery shop for a Christmas dinner for a needy family and place food in a donation bin & learn about and sing the carol O Come, All Ye Faithful
Sunday, December 15 – Make green Rice Krispie Christmas wreaths & watch “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"
Monday, December 16 – Purchase and wrap a Christmas gift for Mommy
Tuesday, December 17 – Eat candy canes and read J is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told & read Luke 1:26-38 - Birth of Jesus Foretold to Mary
Wednesday, December 18 – Deliver Christmas treats to neighbors & read Luke 1:39-46 - Mary Visits Elizabeth
Thursday, December 19 – Go to the Milleridge Inn for a Christmas Dinner and walk around the Milleridge cottage shops & read Matthew 1:18-25 - Birth of Jesus Foretold to Joseph
Friday, December 20 – Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies, watch “The Santa Clause,” & read Luke 2:1-7 - Birth of Jesus Christ
Saturday, December 21 – Have Christmas peppermint pancakes and attend “English Families Fellowship” Christmas party
Sunday, December 22 – Decorate a gingerbread house, drink hot cocoa, watch “A Nativity Story,” & read Luke 2:8-21 - Shepherds Visit Jesus
Monday, December 23 – Visit the “Long Island Children’s Museum,” drive around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights & read Matthew 2:1-12 - Wisemen Visit Jesus
Tuesday, December 24 –Make a birthday cake for Jesus, read My Birthday, Jesus’ Birthday, & attend our church’s Christmas Eve service
Wednesday, December 25 – Have a Merry Christmas!