Christmas is coming! What a wonderful, beautiful, incredible time of year. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love to do a countdown for Christmas so that I can be intentional about doing all the things we love to do as a family. Create memories, have slow-down moments, build anticipation, celebrate community and family, and stop to slow down and think about the real reason for the season.
This year we just bought this book. It's beautiful and thoughtful, and awesome.
I want to start the tradition of the Jesse tree which has us reading certain scriptures every night with the kids after dinner, reading this really cool story bible, and hanging up a little ornament with a symbol for them to remember the real reason for the season. If I had time, I would make these ornaments (so cute) but we'll have to make due with some printouts this year.
And, as usual, I am currently filling up these boxes:
Inside will be the Jesse tree ornament, another little ornament for our tree which we can add every day, an activity for that day and the elements to make that activity happen.
My hope is that we can do as many of these things in community as possible and that the children will love crafting, baking, giving, and making together.
Advent activities:
- Decorating the house for Christmas. On goes the music, up goes the décor.
- Setting up their nativity scene to play with, outside Christmas light!
- Ornament making day with friends. Thinking of these and some other kid-friendly ones.
- Cinnamon ornaments! I've always wanted to make these.
- Snow day. Sensory bin and snowman fingerprint (and footprint) painting. Possibly attending our Church's Making Spirit's Bright event.
- Cutting down our Christmas tree with friends, and attending the Christmas parade in Maple Ridge (or going to Science world to celebrate Jason's birthday).
- Decorate our Christmas tree, dinner by candle and christmas-tree light, and make some gluten free chex mex for while we do it.
- Christmas tree crafts: One for me, one for them. If only I had time for these but I AM hoping to make a new wreath like this.
- Some special projects for Daddy's birthday today!
- Send some fun packages to family far away and do some play-doh christmas tree decorating (only with a bit more glitter and glam).
- Make homemade marshmallows and pair with hot chocolate mixes to deliver to some dear friends.
- Party day! Daytime dance party to christmas music, Jason's work christmas party.
- Can't wait to take our kids to the 4Catz studio to paint a family work of art together. Splatter painting! Silas is going to love this. Also going to let the boys have some bathtime fun with a winter bath kinda like this.
- Snowman pancakes and our Life group christmas party.
- Decorate and stamp and mail christmas cards and go ice skating at the Langley Events Centre's Winter Wonderland.
- Cookie baking for neighbors part 1 (cause having a busy 6 month old underfoot will make baking take ten times longer). I love the ones we chose last year so might make them all again:
- Cookie making day part 2 and delivery.
- Random act of kindness. Hoping to candy-cane bomb a parking lot in our community or pay for someone's coffee. The boys have their preschool play in the evening!
- Go visit Potter’s store or Port Kells Nursery - so beautiful (and free) at Christmas. Snowman pizza and Christmas movie in jammies tonight
- Snowman pancakes for breakfast, and skating or the Stanley park Christmas train in the evening.
- More random acts of kindness and sledding/tubing!
- Have a fire and read stories by it.
- Hot chocolates and drive around looking at Christmas lights. Hoping to do a christmas light scavenger hunt this year like this.
- Christmas Eve (maybe our traditional gourmetting this year?)
- Christmas Day!
It may sound like a lot, but it's really what we would already do at some point- but this way all my planning is done and we can just enjoy a new activity every day.
Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas season. If you want to join us in any of these activities, let us know!!
No comments:
Post a Comment