I’ve had several questions about our advent calendar so here’s a little rundown. You already know I’m all about pockets. The obsession continues with the advent calendar my mom helped me make this year. It’s a replica of the one we always used growing up and I greatly love it.
Each day of December has a pocket and each pocket has a little card with an activity on it. Some are pretty elaborate and some are simple, thus allowing me to retain what sanity I have left. Here’s a list of some ideas if you plan to make one yourself:
Write a letter to Santa
Church Christmas party
Read Christmas stories
City tree-lighting ceremony
Shop for a giving-tree stranger
Choose a Christmas tree
Decorate the Christmas tree
Random acts of kindness day
Get picture taken with Santa
Celebrate mom’s birthday
Farmer’s market craft fair
Make a wreath
Go roller skating
Bake cookies
Make treats for friends
Sleep around the tree
Wrap presents
Visit Snowflake Lane
Mail packages
Deliver treats to friends
Drive around and look at lights
Make kits for the homeless
School holiday begins
School holiday sing-along
Go sledding
Church devotional
Visit a live nativity
Go ice skating
Turn on all the Christmas lights and candles
Sing Christmas songs
Watch a Christmas movie
Read THE Christmas story (always on Christmas Eve)
I set everything up at the beginning of the month but reserve the right to move things around as I see fit. The kids pull out the cards each day to see what we’ll be doing and they really look forward to it. It doesn’t take much to make every day of December feel Christmassy.
I love these ideas! Thanks so much for posting them!!!
Wow, your advent calender is beautiful!
Love the ideas of all the different activites. May have to shamelessly steal some of them for things to still do before Christmas with my kiddo’s.
Sleep around the tree! Sounds like fun. I’m assuming that no one was attacked by any hidden tree slugs.
Santa smiles just like our pastor, giving Santa a resemblance to him… too funny! Our pastor IS kind of jolly!
I love these ideas .Especially the service ideas and sleeping around the tree. I’m going to have to copy these for next year!
This is a great idea! Much better than our felt put-up-the-ornament-each-day advent calendar. It’s fun, but it doesn’t really help us get into the spirit of Christmas all that much. Maybe I’ll make these cards and put them behind the ornaments next year.
On an unrelated note, we call my youngest daughter Magoo. She saw the Santa picture and wanted to know what the kids’ names were. I told her Laylee and Magoo, and she got all excited: “Like me? He’s a boy Magoo and I’m a girl Magoo! I LOVE him!” She’s 3…we live in Portland, which isn’t too far from Seattle…it could be a match made in heaven!
Your numbering on the calendar truned out GREAT! It looks terrific. I love their picture with Santa and am so glad you are enjoying the advent activities. I had such fun through the years, doing them with you and all the kids. Somehow, it seemed to keep me focused on what Christmas was all about, rather than getting so busy doing that I forgot to celebrate.
Yay! Your brithday is in December? What day? My daughter turns 3 today!
The photo taken of the kids sleeping around the tree is priceless, I tell you–PRICELESS!
Oh, that is lovely and I will be stealing the ideas as well. I have a thing for Advents, but none so dear as yours – thank you for sharing. Merry Christmas!
I just LOVE this idea! Your advent calendar is a special peanut.
WOW! That is awesome! I like this way better than the little cheap wooden cabinet i saw at Target…and the ideas are wonderful.
PS – has anyone told you just how adorable your kids are? too cute!
Stopping by to wish you a blessed and very Merry Christmas! ♥ Hugs 🙂 Shauna
I LOVE THAT. Activities! You’re a genius, really, … but you already knew that. 🙂
Where’s the everyone-throws-up-for-the-month-of-December card? Oh, wait we don’t need that one. We already have it covered.
Seriously, the picture of them sleeping around the Christmas tree is too much. Love it.
We have been doing things each day to try to get the Christmas feeling going. Sometimes it’s a Christmas video and sometimes it’s a craft or another activity. Somehow I am just not feeling it this year…I think I’m having the worst Christmas Blues of my entire life.
Our kids have been sleeping under the tree all week because it’s too cold upstairs in this arctic weather.
Hope you are all staying warm!
Look at you Miss Crafty-Woman! Thanks for the idea….ummm, like 17 days too late! Hmmm….I wonder if anyone knows the Enrichment Leader and they can pass along this great idea for next year….let me think about that 🙂
Love ya!
You know I’d love to help in ANY way, but are you sure the Enrichment leader would be willing to work with someone who wasn’t willing to risk her life to attend meetings when the roads were frozen? 😉
That was definately an awesome comeback 🙂
I’ll check with the Enrichment Leader and see what she thinks!
Even your Santa is adorable!
A great and honorable list for sure, but that pic of them sleeping under the tree kills me. So perfect.
An advent calender with ACTIVITIES on it?!?
Maybe I can do one now. I was wondering how to get 7 pieces of chocolate in each little hole every day . . .
I love this idea so much it makes me regret I didn’t make one of these at our Super Saturday. WHAA!! If someone would’ve advertised like THAT maybe I would’ve. ok. Next year. I love that pic of the kids sleeping by the tree – what a sweet memory.
Neat idea for Advent Calendar, love your brightly lit tree, and oh my word, how grown up are Magoo and Laylee looking?!!
Happy Holidays Kathryn from the other Kathryn 🙂
I think this might be my de-lurking comment (sorry for the last year of stalking if it is…). The hubby and I debated where our tree should go this year and I finally “won” and put it in the dining room so it could be seen from the street. But after this post I realized something: the boys (3 & 1) can’t sleep in front of the Cmas tree if it’s in the dining room! On the hardwood! In front of giant windows! Hello kidnappers…. we are in HEEERRREE!
So, my husband would like to thank you for reminding me that Christmas trees (slugs and all… haha… j/k we are ALL FAKE UP IN HERE) belong in the family room.
You know…maybe we should have 2 trees….
WOW. I am sooooo going to steal this idea. You know why I like it? One, because it’s great. Duh. But more importantly, and two, because it will force lazy me to do some of the things I plan to do every year but don’t do. My son will be three and a half next year and he might notice. Thanks for the idea. You’re a good mama. 🙂