November is our month to prepare for Christmas. This allows December to be enjoyed rather than it being manic! One of the last bits to organise is our Activity Based Advent Calendar.
Doing an Activity based Advent Calendar is such a lovely thing to do and it helps the excitement to build gradually in December and is a nice way to count down to Christmas Day itself.
We have a Christmas Advent Truck that we got in Dunnes Stores and it has a door for each day. We write out little activities for each day and the kids will take it in turns to open a door.
We get the activities from a mix of places .. things we would be doing anyway, ideas from @pinterest and other websites.
We make a list of all the activities and then write them out on slips of paper and add one to each day. We like to keep a list of them all so that we can change ones out if something else pops up or if we’re too busy to do something on a particular day!!
This year’s ones we are planning to do:
Take down the Christmas Book Box and start the Advent Box
Watch The Late Late Toy Show
Read the story of Christmas
Sing some Christmas songs
Look at old Christmas videos and photos
Shop for a new Christmas Decoration
Snuggle under a blanket and watch a Christmas film
Put up the Christmas Decorations
Have a fun family day out
Write a letter to Santa
Clean out toy box and donate to charity
Have a Christmas Dance Party
Have a Christmas bubble bath – songs and candles
Family Treat Dinner tonight
Go to Christmas Market
Go to Christmas Nativity Play
Make Christmas cards for our family
Read a Christmas book by candle light by the tree
Go for a hot chocolate
Go for a drive and find some Christmas lights
A Christmas indoor picnic in front of the tree
Make some Christmas cookies / buns
Move up to Granny and Grandad for Christmas
Open the Christmas Eve Box
Have a very merry family Christmas
Some other ideas:
Do a random act of kindness
Stay up late and watch a film
Sleep in mommy and daddy’s bed
Play a family boardgame
Go for a winter walk / bike ride
Go ice-skating
Take a few small gifts to a shelter for women and children
Wear Santa hats and bring a bag to clean up the beach
Make gingerbread cookies
Melt chocolate into Christmas molds
Decorate a wreath together
Get books from the library about how people celebrate Christmas in other nations
Make thumbprint snowmen
Paint pinecones to make a centerpiece for the table or to display in a clear vase or string on a bunting
Unwrap and read a new Christmas book
Snuggle up in mom and dad’s bed and read The Night Before Christmas
Use only Christmas mugs for all of your drinks for an entire day
Have a “fancy dress” code for dinner one night
Invite another family to come over in their jammies to watch a favorite Christmas movie and share a favorite Christmas treat
Some ideas to choose!! It genuinely is so much fun and the kids adore it… enjoy!
- Image from unsplash.com
