It’s that time for us to celebrate all our Holiday traditions. One of my favorites from childhood is opening the advent calendars my mom or grandma got me, counting down the days until Christmas.
The Advent Calendars always had a chocolate behind each box and of course as a kid that was a treat I looked forward to. Fast-forward 30 years and I am celebrating the same tradition with my son, giving him a calendar each year so he can enjoy the countdown just like I did. This year we are going to try something a little different. Instead of a chocolate or small toy behind each day we are going to put something to do together behind each one. Life gets busy so we can’t schedule big activities each day, but with some thought I have come up with 25 things to put in your advent calendar to make this holiday one to remember with your family.
Events near home that won’t break the budget:
- Watch a virtual concert together
- Get a Christmas tree
- Purchase Toys for Tots items or a collect a shoebox full of items for Operation Christmas Smile
- Donate dog treats to local shelter
- Opt outside and embrace the chill, go for a hike, or hit one of your nearby playgrounds
- Drive around and see Christmas lights
- Go see Santa!
Things to do at home that will keep you on task as well for preparing for the Holidays:
- Decorate the tree together
- Put together a gingerbread house kit
- Decorate sugar cookies and deliver them to neighbors
- Purge old toys, clothes and books and give them to charity (see the bottom of this linked article for places to donate to)
- Write Christmas cards to grandparents
- Have your family make their Christmas lists. Here is a cute printable download to help you get started!
- Make a Christmas music playlist together
Things to do at home that take no planning for those nights we are ready for bed before we ever get home:
- Watch a Christmas Movie. We highly recommend Noelle on Disney+ and The Christmas Chronicles on Netflix
- Write a letter to Santa and mail it. Download this printable North Pole Letterhead. Also, check out Operation Santa here
- Make some hot chocolate with all the deluxe fixin’s including whipped cream and crushed candy cane on top
- Get into some Christmas pjs and have a Mario Kart tournament
- Make a festive mocktail. Come up with your own or use one of our recipes here
- Do the snow ritual to encourage some snow to fall, just for the heck of it. If you aren’t familiar the ritual includes: sleeping with a spoon under one’s pillow, flushing ice cubes down the toilet, putting a white crayon in your window sill, and wearing your pajamas inside out and backwards.
Below are a few options for Advent calendar’s you can reuse each year and update your activities as your children grow up.
Wood Advent Calendar with LED light
Click pic to shop or read customer reviews here.
Felt Advent Calendar
Click pic to shop or read customer reviews here.
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