I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones!!!!
It's now that time to start planning (if you havent started already) of how you want to celebrate this special season! Don't get caught up in the hustle and bustle!
It's now that time to start planning (if you havent started already) of how you want to celebrate this special season! Don't get caught up in the hustle and bustle!
So here's what I'm going to do to make this time memorable for my kids special! I hope this encourages you to sit down for a few minutes, yes that means getting off facebook or setting down your cell phone and not answering any phone calls or texts. Believe me I am right there with you but it's funny how we make time for all sorts of things and say we are too busy for others. So here we go!
- Plan right now your Family's Christmas "Advent Calendar". Make a list and sit down with your husband this evening. No not right when he walks in the door from work. How about after you have gotten the kids in bed, turn the tv off, get out your calendars and talk with him and see which ideas he would like to do and what nights.
1. A night of Tree Trimming, complete with egg nog and A Muppet Christmas Carol (or a traditional movie that you always watch with your family).
2. Write a family Advent prayer. (include hopes that you have for the next year together. Put it in a special place ~ we have an ornament that houses ours).
3. Make a Christmas banner (or some other decoration for the house that everyone can help with).
4. Do an Advent devotional with your family. Here is a simple one to get started.
5. Make salt dough ornaments. Add beads on them to make them super cute!
6. Make string snowballs.
7. Bake egg nog pancakes together.
8. Make cardboard carolers with you family's pictures.
9. Make gift coupon books for family members.
10. Nativity Lapbook and other tot printables.
11. Make gifts for the grandparents...photo block ornaments or a wooden photo block to display precious little pictures.
12. Participate in a canned food drive.
13. Host an ugly Christmas sweater party and give silly awards to the ugliest.
13. Make gingerbread houses, really graham cracker houses, which are perfect for little ones (or big ones!) to decorate and display. And homemade cinnamon hot chocolate to give you sustenance while you are working. PIC
14. Read Christmas storybooks aloud. Our favorites include: Who is Coming to our House? By Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff, One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski, The Legend of the Christmas Tree by Rick Osborne, The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg, Jacob’s Gift by Max Lucado, My Merry Christmas and the Real Reason for Christmas Joy by Sally Lloyd Jones and Annika's Secret Wish by Beverly Lewis.
15. Have a Christmas Cookie Exchange with some girlfriends.
16. Sing Christmas songs together around the fire. Pick a new song to sing each week.
17. Living Nativity (if you live in College Station). They take the kids back to the time that Jesus was born with animals in a petting zoo, camels, and a manger scene.
18. Go caroling at a local nursing home. This is such a delight to them!
19. Neighborhood party. We make sugar cookies to let the kids decorate at the party, have some sort of ornament craft and a kids' Christmas movie (our favorite is Boz Christmas) projected onto our garage door. We invite all the neighbors and are able to meet some new ones.
20. Make Cinnamon Cider to enjoy and fill your home with yumminess.
21. Wrap Christmas presents together. Messy or not, let the kids help out with this and as you wrap, pray that this will be a blessing to the recipient. The kids love to pick out paper, ribbons, and gift tags.
22. Make and decorate cookies together. Have prizes for most creative, most detailed, most unique, most festive.
23. Select gifts from Gospel For Asia together. We love this tradition and love that the kids are enjoying it too. We let the kids pick out one to two items and we also pick out several items from the catalog. After you select the items, they will send your children a card saying that they have given the "Gift of Love" and thanking them.
24. Make Christmas handprints. We love to do this each year and keep them so we can compare year to year.
25. Deliver gifts together. Great way to get kids involved in the process is to take them with you as you deliver and let them what great joy it brings to your heart to give!
26. Make Christmas placecards. Just have your kids write names in the blank spaces. If you have very little kids. Make dots and let them fill in the lines.
27. Make glitter glue stars and tell your children how the wise men followed the star.
28. Christmas Eve Pajamas and surprise jammy ride with hot chocolate to look at Christmas lights.
29. Act out the Christmas story. Improvise with fabric, rope, dish towels and headbands. It's more fun that way.
30. Celebrate Jesus' birth! Bake a cake, sing "Happy Birthday", blow out candles, and give Him gifts. Rejoice!
2. Write a family Advent prayer. (include hopes that you have for the next year together. Put it in a special place ~ we have an ornament that houses ours).
3. Make a Christmas banner (or some other decoration for the house that everyone can help with).
4. Do an Advent devotional with your family. Here is a simple one to get started.
5. Make salt dough ornaments. Add beads on them to make them super cute!
6. Make string snowballs.
7. Bake egg nog pancakes together.
8. Make cardboard carolers with you family's pictures.
9. Make gift coupon books for family members.
10. Nativity Lapbook and other tot printables.
11. Make gifts for the grandparents...photo block ornaments or a wooden photo block to display precious little pictures.
12. Participate in a canned food drive.
13. Host an ugly Christmas sweater party and give silly awards to the ugliest.
13. Make gingerbread houses, really graham cracker houses, which are perfect for little ones (or big ones!) to decorate and display. And homemade cinnamon hot chocolate to give you sustenance while you are working. PIC
14. Read Christmas storybooks aloud. Our favorites include: Who is Coming to our House? By Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff, One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski, The Legend of the Christmas Tree by Rick Osborne, The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg, Jacob’s Gift by Max Lucado, My Merry Christmas and the Real Reason for Christmas Joy by Sally Lloyd Jones and Annika's Secret Wish by Beverly Lewis.
15. Have a Christmas Cookie Exchange with some girlfriends.
16. Sing Christmas songs together around the fire. Pick a new song to sing each week.
17. Living Nativity (if you live in College Station). They take the kids back to the time that Jesus was born with animals in a petting zoo, camels, and a manger scene.
18. Go caroling at a local nursing home. This is such a delight to them!
19. Neighborhood party. We make sugar cookies to let the kids decorate at the party, have some sort of ornament craft and a kids' Christmas movie (our favorite is Boz Christmas) projected onto our garage door. We invite all the neighbors and are able to meet some new ones.
20. Make Cinnamon Cider to enjoy and fill your home with yumminess.
21. Wrap Christmas presents together. Messy or not, let the kids help out with this and as you wrap, pray that this will be a blessing to the recipient. The kids love to pick out paper, ribbons, and gift tags.
22. Make and decorate cookies together. Have prizes for most creative, most detailed, most unique, most festive.
23. Select gifts from Gospel For Asia together. We love this tradition and love that the kids are enjoying it too. We let the kids pick out one to two items and we also pick out several items from the catalog. After you select the items, they will send your children a card saying that they have given the "Gift of Love" and thanking them.
24. Make Christmas handprints. We love to do this each year and keep them so we can compare year to year.
25. Deliver gifts together. Great way to get kids involved in the process is to take them with you as you deliver and let them what great joy it brings to your heart to give!
26. Make Christmas placecards. Just have your kids write names in the blank spaces. If you have very little kids. Make dots and let them fill in the lines.
27. Make glitter glue stars and tell your children how the wise men followed the star.
28. Christmas Eve Pajamas and surprise jammy ride with hot chocolate to look at Christmas lights.
29. Act out the Christmas story. Improvise with fabric, rope, dish towels and headbands. It's more fun that way.
30. Celebrate Jesus' birth! Bake a cake, sing "Happy Birthday", blow out candles, and give Him gifts. Rejoice!
2. Gather up all your kids' Christmas Books that they have received over the years. Or run the the Goodwill on Rosedale Hwy. that just sells books (for about .95 cents) and see what you can find. You can also run to Berean and hit their "discount" aisle to pick up a couple of new Christmas books. Once you have gathered up your books, wrap them up in the same Christmas paper and put them all in a bucket or bin under the Christmas tree. Each night the kids can pick one book, unwrap and cuddle on the couch to read. If you have a certain order you want them you could always print out a page of numbers on your computer and tape them to the wrapped books. If you only have 5 then countdown the 5 days of Christmas. Use what you have and make it work for your family. It's just about making life special and taking the time to make these memories.
Over at "A Day in the Life of The Perkins Family" She shows you what she does. Here is a picture of her family's collection. Check out her blog to get her list of favorite Christmas books and other fun ideas.
3. Elf on the Shelf! You can purchase this at
Over at "hub pages" One person gives a background explanation if you have no idea what good an Elf on a shelf would do:
I have been hearing parents talk about and seen on some family sires etc mention of the "Elf On The Shelf". After questioning many people all of whom thought it was a great idea but did not have one I found out its basically a behavior tool for children around the holidays.
The gist is Santa knows if your being good or not because he has secret elf spies that sneak around your house relaying real time updates to Santa (most likely they text). Now kids who know about the elves and look carefully might catch them around their houses. One day the elf may be sitting on a shelf watching but never moving while there's people around as part of his disguise is as a holiday doll. When kids wake up the next morning the elf may be gone and if searched for could be under the couch etc or you may see proof they move from some foot prints. Sometime the elf hides so well you may not see it for a day or so.
So basically you convenience your kids there's a elf sneaking around your house to report to Santa. This is to make them watch their behavior. I think if started at a young age and parents really work at it not just let it sit on the shelf all the time its got potential maybe even up to age ten or so depending on the kids.
A few other bloggers have posted some creative ways they have placed their elf...
LOVE this!! She painted the kids' noses red while they were sleeping... and set up the elf like this. awesome!! Totally doing this one this year!!
Over at: BLossmbunkhouse, She has 101 ideas for where to put your elf! Here are just a couple. Check out her blog for the rest.
- Marshmallow fight – marshmallows everywhere
- Lipstick on mirror message
- Hang child’s unmentionables on the Christmas tree
- Hang from chandelier or ceiling fan
- Take a spin in toy car/remote control car
- Play board game with stuffed animal friends or action figures
- Create a block tower
- Sit in shoe, holding shoe laces as if going on a sleigh ride
- Plant magic seeds with directions to water once a day. On 3rd day something will grow. Secretly plant lollipops on 3rd day.
- Make cookies – flour everywhere
- Turn toilet water blue
- Hang out on child’s bedpost
- Type /write an amazing letter of all the wonderful qualities your Elf has witnessed of your child!!!!!!!!
- Fill room with lots of balloons or hang them from ceiling
Again, plan this out so you have supplies ready! Somedays it can be easier than others. Again get creative!=)
I think this should get you started! So have fun and make this special time exciting, fun and memorable for your kiddos (and family)! Love you girls!
