Advent (ok, so I lied about the hiatus...)
We're winding down our advent celebration and it has been fabulous! Many thanks to this post for inspiration.
Growing up my mother's mother, Grandmummy, used to send us, every year, a traditional advent calendar with windows to open upon little themed pictures. Oh, I loved these calendars! My own mother continues this tradition with my kids, sending every year a new advent calendar. We keep them every year in our Christmas ornament box so get to see the calendars from year's past each year we pull out our decorations. My kids LOVE opening the advent calendar everyday.
This year we've started a new tradition (because you can never have too many traditions!). And it works out really well to have something for each child to do everyday. They take turns. When Michael grows bigger he'll be in on it, too (my kids also move the wise men an inch or two closer to "Bethlehem" every day...another tradition gleened from my own childhood).
Every day my kids open a tin (labeled on the bottom with the date). They find in each a tiny treat (2 jellybeans) and the activity that we'll do that day. Some of the favorites have been:
I think this tradition will be around for a long time! It took a bit of set-up but I think now that I have the tins and a list of ideas, years to come will be much easier. Truthfully, there have been some activities that we never did (decorate wooden ornaments, for instance....they still sit on the table as I write...). This month gets so busy that it's ok to expect that not everything will go just-as-planned. But the rhythm this gives us for the month is so lovely. I know we'll get the important stuff done. And hopefully my kids will look back on this with many fond memories...
Growing up my mother's mother, Grandmummy, used to send us, every year, a traditional advent calendar with windows to open upon little themed pictures. Oh, I loved these calendars! My own mother continues this tradition with my kids, sending every year a new advent calendar. We keep them every year in our Christmas ornament box so get to see the calendars from year's past each year we pull out our decorations. My kids LOVE opening the advent calendar everyday.
This year we've started a new tradition (because you can never have too many traditions!). And it works out really well to have something for each child to do everyday. They take turns. When Michael grows bigger he'll be in on it, too (my kids also move the wise men an inch or two closer to "Bethlehem" every day...another tradition gleened from my own childhood).
Every day my kids open a tin (labeled on the bottom with the date). They find in each a tiny treat (2 jellybeans) and the activity that we'll do that day. Some of the favorites have been:
- make gingerbread houses
- give our Secret Santa gift
- go see the Festival of Lights
- read our favorite Christmas book while drinking hot cocoa
- decorate the tree!
- make cookies for the neighbors
- set up the Nativities
I think this tradition will be around for a long time! It took a bit of set-up but I think now that I have the tins and a list of ideas, years to come will be much easier. Truthfully, there have been some activities that we never did (decorate wooden ornaments, for instance....they still sit on the table as I write...). This month gets so busy that it's ok to expect that not everything will go just-as-planned. But the rhythm this gives us for the month is so lovely. I know we'll get the important stuff done. And hopefully my kids will look back on this with many fond memories...
Labels: Blogroll
posted by Sarah at
11:42 AM
2 Comments:
That's a great idea. Merry Christmas Sarah!
This is a wonderful idea!! Thank you so much for sharing it. I've gotten so many great ideas this year, I wonder if I'll even remember them by next year, especially in time to do them. This looks like it needs some advance planning :)
But I'm glad you've had a wonderful time. We've done ok. We have a quilted advent tree that we hang an ornament on every day, plus daily story, scripture, and carols.
Hope you have a beautiful Christmas! (and thanks for lying about the hiatus! It was so good to read this.)
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