Bring on the festive season - Advent Calendar!!!

Hello world,


Last blog I mentioned the advent calendar I wanted to purchase and today I did, so I thought I'd share it here tonight :)

Picked this one up for $10 from Big W but you could make one or find a different one online somewhere if you can't get the Big W one I've got. (The pockets didnt come filled - I just forgot to take a photo before I had put them all in while I figured out the activities!)

To fill the pockets and write our day by day Christmas activities on I also bought a pack of gift tags - they were $6 for 50 so I've got half of them left to use on gifts and they fit well in the assorted pockets. I'm a bit funny so I've been cutting out bits of cardboard all night to cover the TO and FROM on the back of the cards. If I had a printer I would have just printed out the activities and glued them on the pack but I don't :) If you did have a printer you could print them straight on cardboard and cut them out to use rather than buying some.


So after all my prep pasting little bits of cardboard to other bits of cardboard I needed a list of 24 activities to write on them - and here it is in no particular order (except xmas eve dinner which clearly will be occuring on xmas eve!)

1. Put up the Christmas tree
2. Put up the outdoor lights
3. Write a letter to Santa
4. Choose a special Christmas treat (I will wrap up a few special christmas treats that Piper and her future siblings can pick from in the future - may not do it this year as she is 9mo and won't really get it - but I might do it anyway!)
5. Place your special ornament on the Christmas tree
6. Drive around and see the Christmas lights
7. Mail out the Christmas cards
8. Visit Santa
9. Go for a walk to collect pine cones
10. Go to the library to pick out some Christmas books
11. Make Christmas Cookies
12. Drive around and see the Christmas lights
13. Buy a gift for the wishing tree
14. Listen to Christmas carols
15. Do a Christmas craft
16. Wrap some presents
17. Make pinecone bird feeder and hang outside
18. Make candy cane play dough
19. Watch a Christmas movie together
20. Go to Carols by Candlelight and have a family picnic dinner
21. Make handprint/footprint ornaments
22. Fish and Chips for dinner down at the beach
23. Unwrap a special Christmas treat
24. Have traditional xmas eve dinner with family
    
    
    You probably noticed that I doubled up on a few, I did this intentionally, you don't have to!
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    And here are some awesome blogs for inspiration for creating your own Christmas activites advent calendar:
      
    
    
    Puddles and Gumboots 
      
    Untrained Housewife  
    
    
    The Artful Parent 
    
    
    Code Name: Mama 
    
    
    Kiddley 
    
    
    all things simple
    
    
    
    
     The Christmas Book Advent Calendar is an idea that I love and will be putting to use - maybe not this year as I've got 2 days to buy 24 Christmas books - but definately for future Christmas'
    
    
    So another tick off the list waiting for the christmas month to arrive - one family activities advent calendar :
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Jodi xo