The Countdown to Christmas ~ 3 ways we are preparing for Christmas
Happy 1st of December!!! The countdown to Christmas has now officially begun! It is now time to get your head out from under the tinsel and start enjoying the festive season! This year we are preparing for Christmas in 3 ways and none of them have anything to do with facing shopping centres or making present lists!
1. The Advent Calendar. You could just go and buy a chocolate box variety Advent Calendar and dig out a chocolate each morning as you countdown to Christmas but for us this is a time to share, reflect, enjoy each others company, to learn, to play, to cook…..TOGETHER. So we are doing an “Activity Advent Calendar”.
This year I have decided to once and for all buy an advent calendar that we can use every year! This gorgeous creation is by Lily and George and is available from Lime Tree Kids. It was just too divine to pass up and a steal at $34.95. Inside each little stocking I am placing a daily activity card. I have downloaded and printed the FREE advent activity cards from the ever talented Bianca at A Little Delightful. They are thoughtful, gorgeous and perfect for the age of my little ones. I love that they include a few blank ones to add your own activity. Along with the activity I will occasionally have a little treat that goes with the activity.
2. The “Elf On The Shelf” He is all about returning some of the magic, surprise, awe and wonder to Christmas. He will be arriving THIS WEEK and making mischief at night! The next morning we will find a clue about what he has been up to while we have been sleeping! He will aslo be reporting back to Santa about who is being “Naughty or Nice” I am hoping to also link this up to our “Advent Activity Calendar” Check out the “Elf on the Shelf” HERE
You can also find this great “Elf on The Shelf” downloadable calendar at THE PARTY DRESS.
So how do you link the elf to the advent calendar? For example; 4th December – Advent Activity – “Bake Some Christmas cookies” (Treat in the stocking – cookie cutters) The night before the elf gets into the cooking fever and leaves out the flour in a mess on the bench! This is planned for a Sunday so we can take the cookies to share at Kindy on Monday!
7th December – Christmas Movie Night – (Treat – Christmas DVD) – Delivered by the elf who is placed near the tv with a small cupcake container filled with popcorn and the remote!
I finish work on Friday!!!! So our calendar will be hung on Friday night and our elf will be making his grand entrance on Saturday morning for his “Elfy Breakfast“!!!
The third way we are preaparing for christmas is the reason for the season.
3. Truth in the Tinsel. This is an e-book designed for “little hands” each day there is a clue, a scripture reading, an ornament to make and much more! It is all designed to help teach little ones the real meaning of Christmas! Read all about it HERE
Ok so that is a lot but we will all be on holidays and each activity will not take more than half an hour! We may not do all 3 three things every day and we have a few beach mini breaks in the coming weeks aswell! I am going to keep track of everything using the Christmas Calendar from A Little Delightful pictured above. Yes Bianca has thought of everything! Can you tell I am more than a little excited about Christmas???
So how do you countdown to Christmas?