COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS

I love the Christmas Season!  I really enjoy the traditions we have started with our kids! Here are a couple that we do each year and just started today, the first day of December.

I wrap 25 books and put them under our upstairs tree. Right before bed each night, the girls take turns opening up a book that we then read together snuggled in Punkin's bed. I always buy a brand new one that I make sure they save to open on Christmas Eve.

I used to do a separate Advent Calendar and Countdown Activity chart, but this year I combined them! My Countdown to Christmas chart isn't as elaborate or decorative as some I've seen on Pinterest, but I didn't have time this year to go all out. :) At any rate, I printed out the advent Bible verse cards from HERE and then also wrote a fun Christmas related activity on the back of each one. Each day, the girls take turns taking the card out and we read the Bible verse together (and then later put it up on our red poster...so each day we will read all the ones we have up there, adding one each day as we go.  By Christmas, we will have verses that tell the whole Christmas story.) After that, we turn it over and find out what the fun Christmas activity is for that day.

Here are a list of the things we are doing this year:

1. Handprint Trees / Wreaths
2. Make a paper chain to decorate bedroom door.
3. Christmas Candlelight Picnic Dinner (on the floor by the tree)  
4. Hot Cocoa Bar
5. Play “I Spy” ornament Scavenger Hunt
6. Make Ornament cake balls
7. Go to Toys R Us to buy Toys for Tots gifts
8. Christmas Party at Aunt Rose and Uncle Bob’s house
9. Make “Peppermint Cocoa Floats” (peppermint ice cream and hot cocoa)
10. Write a Christmas Letter to Great Grandma and mail it
11. Festival of Lights in PJ’s with popcorn
12. Make Snowflakes and decorate with glitter
13. Make gift for SS teachers, preschool teachers, school teachers
14. Make a gingerbread house with a friend
15. Church program
16. School program
17. Make Christmas Cookies
18. Have a “snowball fight” with wadded paper
19. Deliver Christmas cookies to neighbors
20. Sleepover at Grandma's
21. Help me wrap gifts for cousins
22. Unwrap 1 stocking gift early
23. Camp out under Christmas Tree in sleeping bags
24. After Christmas Eve service, give a gift box to the kids full of new jammies, a Christmas video, and snacks. Watch the movie in new PJs with the snacks in mom and dad’s bed.
25. CHRISTMAS!