Counting Down to Christmas

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Christmas LightsWe absolutely LOVE Christmas!  It’s not enough to celebrate one day, so we like to count down using advent activities.  Some are simple, some take a little planning.  Some reinforce our faith, some are just for fun.  Some are sweet, some are crafty.  We’ve danced on bubble wrap to some fabulous Christmas music, we’ve watched “Elf” countless times, and we’ve eaten our weight in chocolate homemade goodies.Santa

I’ve pinned a few of my favorite printable advent activities to our “Deck the Halls” Pinterest board to help you get started.  There are thousands of ideas on Pinterest, of course, but these are ones I’ve actually used or plan to use this year.  You can make it as easy as printing, cutting, and putting them in a jar.  Or you can make a beautiful display.

I bought this lovely galvanized steel advent calendar at Michael’s this year.  The printed activities will fit nicely in the little pockets.  In previous years, I’ve used envelopes, a dollar store container, a magnet board, and/or clothespins.  I don’t usually plan out the whole month in advance due to my husband’s varying work schedule.  I plan ahead enough to purchase necessary items to have on hand and then choose the activities day-by-day.Paper Snowflakes

We typically start December 1st with putting up our tree and decorating the house.  On busy days, we do something as easy as a holiday mad lib, a board game by the tree lights or the fire, or a holiday movie.  A Christmas lights scavenger hunt is tons of fun to do in pj’s with blankets.  Cutting paper snowflakes is super easy using coffee filters. My favorite days usually involve making treats!  This year, I plan to incorporate more “acts of kindness” into our advent list.Holiday Treats

We finish up our countdown on Christmas Eve with a slew of traditional activities.  We read the story of Christ’s birth, we toss out reindeer food, and we put out cookies for Santa.  The Christmas Story

My biggest recommendation is to not let the list of activities become a checklist that adds to your overwhelming tasks.  Let it be the daily break to reconnect with your family and remember the childlike wonder of the holiday season.

Disclaimer:  While all of the gorgeous children pictured are mine, the fabulous home pictured above is not.  You can see their wonderful light show at 6690 Barrel Race Drive in Colorado Springs.  You can find them on Facebook by searching “Lights on Barrel Race”.

1 COMMENT

  1. Great post, Brie! Our Advent celebration looks much the same. Just last night as my hubby and I were cutting out 24 little circles and taping them to a ribbon (we are very extravagant people, can you tell?), I said that we should invest in a more permanent Advent option. This one you linked to is perfect! Thanks 🙂

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