Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Our Advent Calendar for 2017-- Quick and Sweet!

When I was a kid, I had a favorite aunt who sent me an advent calendar every year. They were wonderful and special, very cleverly made cards with little treats in them or little games behind tiny windows. But beyond the card, my family didn't really do anything formal for advent. 

This is the 3rd year that we have done an advent calendar. It was such a hit with the kids the first time we did it that they look forward to it all year-- they talk about it more than Christmas itself. This is something of a victory, because our advent calendar is all about making things and doing things together. 


Our first advent calendar was a cute little matchbox calendar, which worked really well for our small space. However, when I pulled it out of storage this year, it was looking a bit scruffy, so I decided to try a new format. These are little white favor envelopes clipped with tiny clothespins to twine hung around the window in front of our kitchen table. I generally start the advent calendar after my birthday in December, so that's why the numbers start at 5.

This year I stuck with some of our favorite activities... gingerbread houses, having a picnic dinner in a fort, and making cookies and ornaments. I also tried to add in a few more "generosity" prompts like "make a card for someone else" and "do something nice for someone else." Oh, and most days there is a little treat to sweeten the deal... stickers or an all-natural sweet treat.

Graham cracker gingerbread houses, dinner in a fort, sandwich cookies

Here's the full list:

5          Find a special present and open it
6          Decorate for Christmas
7          Build a fort and have dinner in it
8          Make popcorn and watch a movie
9          Go to the Nutcracker
10       Make a Christmas ornament
11       Do something nice for someone else
12       Find a special present and open it
13       Make a card for someone
14       Have breakfast for dinner
15       Go downtown and look at lights
16       Make Christmas Cookies
17       Make a gingerbread house
18       Make a birdfeeder
19       Make a present for someone else
20       Make snowflakes
21       Wrap a present for someone else
22       Go look at lights (Watkins Glen)

23       Sing Christmas Carols

Do you make an advent calendar? 
Enjoy the season!

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