As you probably gathered I believe in the wonder and joys of Christmas and want to welcome my boys to the warm arms of tradition. I want them to relish advent each year, which is why I made our advent stockings last year.
I wanted to make each day special in its own right, without is just being a countdown to Christmas day itself.
Write and post your letter to Father Christmas
Help ice the Christmas cake
Make Christmas cards
Make shapes with the cookie cutters and playdough
Make Christmas shrinky dinks
Make paper snowflakes
Go to Carol Service
Colour in some Christmas pictures
Make some Christmas fairy cakes
Make paper chains
Collect Pinecones
Start reading about the nativity
Write your Christmas cards and deliver local ones
Make salt dough ornaments
String popcorn to go on the tree
Make a bird feeder
Sing and dance to Christmas songs
Make some Christmas cookies
Watch a Christmas movie
Make reindeer food
Read a Christmas Story
Make up a Christmas story
Take a walk in the dark to look at the Christmas lights
Help trim the tree
Make mince pies
make spiced cider.
Find Mistletoe, hang it in our house and kiss under it.
Make Thick Hot Chocolate and Homemade Marshmallows
Put up a wreath
Decorate our gingerbread house
Make a family traditional dessert
We also light the advent candle every evening at dinner and discuss our day and also read the advent calender that I got as a child. We discuss the nativity and talk about anything that it raises with each of the boys.
I love advent, it makes me feel warm, it makes me feel that Christmas doesn’t need to be all about Christmas day and that you can make the time leading up to it just as special.
Over the coming weeks I am looking forward to sharing my advent and Christmas traditions with you.
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Your Comments
Oh Jen…I LOVE reindeer food! Brilliant!*adds is to the list quick as a flash*
What great traditions. I love Christmas it’s an amazing time of the year. x
I think I may spend the time I have off from work doing some of the things on your list with Sophie.
What great traditions. I love the advent stocking, brilliant idea.
xxx
What beautiful traditions you have. I’m just panicking thinking I must do more but can’t seem to fit much more in my day as it is. You’ve reminded me that we haven’t lit our advent candle either….I’m going now to get it.
Your advent calender is lovely. x
Lovely traditions, I really look forward to seeing them all x
That is such a lovely thing to do. Your boys will remember these childhood Christmases for the rest of their lives and probably do the same for their own children. There is far too much hype about the day alone and not enough for the kids to do during Advent itself.
CJ xx
This is a great list of activities – but I hope you’re OK, as I know you’ve not been posting much this week. You’re in my prayers.
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Great list Jen! Can’t wait for the kids to finish school so we can get stuck in to some of them. We have been doing homemade Xmas cards and having such a nice time doing it. I am so pleased that I made the effort to organise it. It’s made me realise how Xmas crafts can become a part of your traditions. Hx
Oh Jen, these are lovely, I cannot believe you sat down and made 24 of these!! (well I can, I am just in awe, must’ve taken ages!!!). Your boys are lucky!! My kids have a fillable advent calendar that I bought a few years ago for “us” 🙂
Maggy x
(PS thank you for linking up!! much appreciated!)
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