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Do you feel the holidays are often focusing more and more on THINGS as we hustle along through our lives the days leading up to Christmas? Shopping and gift giving has become so much of the focus, it is sad how it whirls by us year after year in a blur. I decided that for my family it needed to change, even if just a little. I needed to sprinkle the days with small moments to remember. Small moments of Christmas cheer to slow down the rat race and soak up the days they still believe in the magic. I am sure you have a lot of traditions, especially around the holidays but this is one I definitely urge you to try.
It is our advent calendar. Now I am sure you are all familiar with the small cardboard boxes sold at every grocery store labeled brightly with tiny doors numbered 1-25. Each one carefully concealing a small stale chocolate in a semi-festive shape of a snowman or elf. That isn’t the kind our family does- though I do incorporate chocolate and other sweets along the way!
I purchased a small wooden advent calendar with tiny drawers (formerly sold at target, but I have seen them at other locations as well) Our trusty elf on the shelf was the first one to start this tradition (If you haven’t read my post “why I hate our elf on the shelf, but do it anyway” check it out for more darn elf tips if you have gotten suckered into that tradition too!) Anyhow, Ralph our elf comes each year and puts a Hershey kiss in the small drawer for each kiddo and he also slips in a small note each night.
Each note Ralph brings has an activity for our family to do that night that is holiday related. They are always simple tasks or things we can still do together on busy week nights because holidays or not we still have homework, laundry, basketball practice, and just normal life going on!
Every morning our kids run downstairs excited to see what the elf has planned for us that day. That elf drives me nuts (Read my post about why I hate our elf on the shelf…but do it anyway) but his ideas of spending time together are wonderful. Each night during the craziest part of the year it forces us to slow down just a little and spend time together creating those small moments of lasting memories. Most years we repeat many of the activities as the year before because they are our favorites, but I do try to sprinkle in a few new fun ones each year especially as the kids grow.
I know it will get harder as the kids get older and someday this tradition will fade away as they wont want to participate forever, but for now I will let that Elf know we love it and hope he keeps the Christmas cheer coming every year!
25 Advent Calendar Activities
- Make a Christmas card for someone you love
- Find 12 candy canes hidden in the house
- Go through old winter clothes and donate them to a shelter
- Read your favorite Christmas story book
- Make sugar cookies
- Build a snowman
- Have hot cocoa before bed (with extra marshmallows)
- Help wrap presents
- Go to grocery store and fill a bag to donate to the food pantry
- Bring old blankets and towels to donate to local animal shelter
- Make popcorn balls
- Go sledding or ice skating
- Make your Christmas wish list
- Write Santa a letter
- go through old toys to donate to homeless shelter
- Camp in the family room and watch your favorite holiday movie
- Drive around the neighborhood to look for the best Christmas lights
- Go shopping for a toy to donate to holiday toy drive
- Make holiday ornaments out of salt dough
- Shovel a neighbors driveway
- Have a Christmas music dance party
- Play holiday charades
- Look through old photos and family video of past holidays
- Feed the reindeer
- Open your presents and remember to be grateful for all the wonderful gifts of the season most of all- the people you love.
Remember no matter how you are able to capture the small moments with your family, cherish them. Before we know it the holidays are over and we wonder how it goes by faster and faster every year. I hope these ideas help inspire you to make a few of these simple memories yourself this season and feel free to leave a comment with any new ideas I can incorporate next year!