Advent Activities

I've had this advent calendar for years, and the girls love it. Everyday you hang another miniature ornament on the tree. This year we'll be adding activities to the mix. The idea is to do a Christmas or family activity every day of the advent. If you google "advent activities" it seems like everyone and their mom is posting theirs. I put each activity on a piece of paper, then tucked in into the calendar. Certain activities are better closer or away from Christmas, some lend themselves to weekends or normal days of the week....so I thought about that too.

Here's the list we'll be doing this year...not in this order...and yes there's over 25, we'll be starting this Sunday.

1. Paint everyone's toenails
2. Have hot chocolate with all the fixin's – Christmas Tea Party
3. Rake/Jump in Pile of Leaves (ours are still falling!)
   
4. Go bowling
5. Watch a Christmas Movie- Mickey’s Christmas Carol or Little Women together
6. Look at family photo albums or scrapbook
7. Make paper snowflakes to hang from ceiling/in windows
8. Make a Christmas ornament
9. Making handmade cards for relatives
10. Take photos in Santa hats/next to Christmas tree
11. Make M&M cookies, Give away a cookie jar to a friend
12. Make Paper Toys from the website "The Toymaker" http://www.thetoymaker.com/
13. Read a Christmas story together
14. Make holiday treats to give away to Visiting/Home Teachees and Teachers- Christmas tree bread, Teddy Bear Bread, Flavored Popcorns,etc.
15. Go to the thrift store/dollar store and give each child a dollar to spend on a gift for daddy/mommy/each other/his-herself
16. Teach children how to draw Christmas trees/stars/snowmen
17. Make Family Bingo or google a Christmas Bingo game
18. Find or make Felt Mistletoe, hang it in our house and kiss under it.
19. Have a Christmas Music Dance Party
20. Go on a walk at night with flashlights to see Neighborhood Lights
21. Make a Gingerbread house
22. Read Christmas story from the Bible and the Book of Mormon
23. Pumpkin Pie or Egg Nog or Peppermint Milkshakes
24. Purchase gifts for a needy child
25. Make Sibling Gifts
26. Family Talent Show
27. Play Santa Claus with pillow case and gifts wrapped in blankets

And here's some more activities that didn't make the cut, but might next year:

1. Take a bubble bath (okay, we can't all fit in the tub, but the kids can do this)
2. Do mom's hair (brush, braid, add hair clips)
   
3. Make Paper Trees or Merry Christmas Garland, or homemade Nativity Scene
   
4. Build a fort or tunnel.
5. Make thumb-print animals and people with paint, add the details with a marker.
6. Do this name game: Think of an attribute that begins with each letter of that persons name, for example:
   N-natural O-observant A-adorable H-humorous
7. Homemade marshmallows
8. Go Ice Skating
9. Host a Christmas Sweater Party or Christmas Cookie Party
   
10. Put up a ribbon sash for Christmas cards/Display Christmas Cards
11. Make a popcorn garland
12. Make Caramel Corn/Chex Mix or Eat out at a festive restaurant
13. Wrap Christmas Gifts
14. Go to the Temple to look at Christmas lights
15. Go to a showing of The Christmas Carol or The Nutcracker Ballet
16. Go to a town Christmas Festival