Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime
We've been having so much fun this holiday season! I've really come to love this time of year. I wanted to start a new tradition with Lucy this year, so I decided to make a holiday activity advent calendar. A friend of mine made an activity advent calendar for the first time a few years ago and I loved the idea. She came up with activities for her sons (and her) to do each day. I don't recall ever having an advent calendar growing up. I'd seen the little cardboard ones where you open the windows, and heard of ones where you get a piece of candy or something, but it was never a tradition I remember ever doing. I had no interest in doing a candy calendar for Lucy, but I love the idea of doing something special each day. I got ideas for the activities from my friends and other blogs, and I came up with some on my own. The activities range from simple and just for fun, to new little presents, to teaching moments about giving.
I wasn't sure how I was going to make it, but figured it out at the last minute and I love how came together.
We aren't at the end yet, but I thought I should start posting now, while I have a moment. In retrospect, I probably should've been posting one each day, but in reality I doubt that would've happened anyway, because I have been SO BUSY. It's been crazy around here! But now all the shopping and baking has been done, cards have been mailed, gifts have been wrapped (for the most part) and sent out, and I have some time to get to some blogging (hopefully).
So, here goes:
Day 1: Decorate the house. Window clings and gel clings for the win!
Day 2: Pick out a Christmas tree, then decorate it. We ended up with our largest tree to date, but I'm not complaining- it's perfect!
Day 3: Make ornaments for the tree. I found a great little kit at Michael's. Lucy loved decorating the snowmen.
Day 4: Check out holiday books at the library. Someone please remind me that by the beginning of December the pickins are slim on the holiday book front.
Day 5: Eat a doughnut. This one was especially fun and yummy- just making a special trip to the doughnut place, to get a doughnut. :)
Day 6: Color a holiday picture. She actually did a really good job staying in the lines. :)
Day 7: Give hugs today. She took this one seriously. Hugs for Gabby and her other friends at school, and for Bregan at our lunch date after school.
Day 8: Sing holiday songs. Preschool Holiday Breakfast was this morning. The kids "sang" Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Jingle Bells." Kind of. Mostly, she lip-synced, but if it works for pop stars, I counted it. ;)
Day 9: Attend a holiday party. And a fancy one at that! We went to my friend Kristi's parents' annual Christmas party at their lovely home in the Palos Verdes Estates.
Day 10: Buy a toy to donate to child who is less fortunate. I wanted to do this with Lucy regardless, so when I learned that her preschool would be going on a fieldtrip to a local fire station and be bringing a toy to donate to the charity that the LAFD works with called Sparks of Love, I was excited. I want the holidays to incorporate charity and giving, so this is a perfect opportunity to teach her. We had a discussion about how she has a lot of toys, yet there are a lot of kids who don't have any. I felt really good about this activity, since being grateful for what we have giving to those less fortunate is something I want to instill in her.
Day 11: Make and decorate a gingerbread house. This is the first real gingerbread house I had ever been a part of making, and the first one we've done together. I tried last year, with a kit from Trader Joe's, but it was an epic fail. This year, I bought a Wilton kit from Michael's, and it was great! I even embellished further with some stuff we had on hand, like pretzels for windows. It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work, too! I was exhausted afterward!
Day 12: Write a letter to Santa. To be honest, I was a little conflicted about this one. She doesn't really get it yet, that she can ask for things, so part of me was like- why start this? After all, I don't want the holidays to be focused on getting presents. But the other part of me was just really curious to see what she would want to say to Santa, if the had a chance. The first thing she said was "thank you." Which is so sweet. She wanted to thank him for candy canes, I think because whenever we've seen Santa in person, he's given her a candy cane. :) The rest came after some prompting. The pictures are of her and Santa.
Day 13: Read a new holiday book. Okay, anyone else remember this scratch and sniff book?? I totally remember this book from when I was little. I had no idea it was still around, but I happened upon it on Amazon. Of course, I had to get it for Lucy (us)! Nostalgia!!
Day 14: Visit Santa at the mall and take a picture with him. Ah, one of my favorite holiday traditions: Santa picture with the gang! Last year, the kids were not at all down with posing by themselves, so it was mommies and kiddos. I was very skeptical about whether Lucy would actually go up there without me, but I guess it helped that her buddies were with her, because they all just walked right up there! They are so cute, I can't stand it!
Day 15: See Christmas lights. It was our first visit to Candy Cane Lane, a super festively-decorated block in El Segundo. We met up with Lucy's friend from school, Kate, and her parents for dinner (at a VERY yummy ramen place beforehand, by the way) and then went to see the lights. We parked a couple blocks away and then walked around. The houses were spectacular!
Day 16: Wear new Christmas jammies. She always gets new Christmas jammies, and she had the perfect opportunity to wear them, as Ethan and his family hosted a North Pole Breakfast at their house. Attire for kids: jammies! It was so much fun, and so cute. The kids also exchanged Secret Santa gifts again. Another super fun tradition!
Day 17: Give a gift to your teacher. Nothing big, just a bag of treats. She loves her teacher and was excited to give her a present.
Day 18: Watch a holiday movie. I thought she would enjoy Rudolph, since she knows the song.
Day 18 bonus: Drop-off food for a food collection drive, and deliver treats to friends, including Beatriz, our favorite grocery store cashier. These are two other activities I had saved up, but it worked out for us to do them today.
I have to say, the homemade holiday activity advent calendar has been quite the success! It's a lot of work- from coming up with the activities, planning when to do each one, and actually doing each one. But, she loves it, so it's totally worth it! She gets so excited every morning to open the next one, and then she gets excited to see what we're going to do that day. I love seeing her enthusiasm, and I thoroughly enjoy doing each activity with her. It's really put me in the holiday spirit and has made this year even more fun and special. I'm loving it as much as she is!
6 days to go! :)
I wasn't sure how I was going to make it, but figured it out at the last minute and I love how came together.
We aren't at the end yet, but I thought I should start posting now, while I have a moment. In retrospect, I probably should've been posting one each day, but in reality I doubt that would've happened anyway, because I have been SO BUSY. It's been crazy around here! But now all the shopping and baking has been done, cards have been mailed, gifts have been wrapped (for the most part) and sent out, and I have some time to get to some blogging (hopefully).
So, here goes:
Day 2: Pick out a Christmas tree, then decorate it. We ended up with our largest tree to date, but I'm not complaining- it's perfect!
Day 3: Make ornaments for the tree. I found a great little kit at Michael's. Lucy loved decorating the snowmen.
Day 4: Check out holiday books at the library. Someone please remind me that by the beginning of December the pickins are slim on the holiday book front.
Day 5: Eat a doughnut. This one was especially fun and yummy- just making a special trip to the doughnut place, to get a doughnut. :)
Day 6: Color a holiday picture. She actually did a really good job staying in the lines. :)
Day 7: Give hugs today. She took this one seriously. Hugs for Gabby and her other friends at school, and for Bregan at our lunch date after school.
Day 8: Sing holiday songs. Preschool Holiday Breakfast was this morning. The kids "sang" Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Jingle Bells." Kind of. Mostly, she lip-synced, but if it works for pop stars, I counted it. ;)
Day 9: Attend a holiday party. And a fancy one at that! We went to my friend Kristi's parents' annual Christmas party at their lovely home in the Palos Verdes Estates.
Day 10: Buy a toy to donate to child who is less fortunate. I wanted to do this with Lucy regardless, so when I learned that her preschool would be going on a fieldtrip to a local fire station and be bringing a toy to donate to the charity that the LAFD works with called Sparks of Love, I was excited. I want the holidays to incorporate charity and giving, so this is a perfect opportunity to teach her. We had a discussion about how she has a lot of toys, yet there are a lot of kids who don't have any. I felt really good about this activity, since being grateful for what we have giving to those less fortunate is something I want to instill in her.
Day 11: Make and decorate a gingerbread house. This is the first real gingerbread house I had ever been a part of making, and the first one we've done together. I tried last year, with a kit from Trader Joe's, but it was an epic fail. This year, I bought a Wilton kit from Michael's, and it was great! I even embellished further with some stuff we had on hand, like pretzels for windows. It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work, too! I was exhausted afterward!
Day 12: Write a letter to Santa. To be honest, I was a little conflicted about this one. She doesn't really get it yet, that she can ask for things, so part of me was like- why start this? After all, I don't want the holidays to be focused on getting presents. But the other part of me was just really curious to see what she would want to say to Santa, if the had a chance. The first thing she said was "thank you." Which is so sweet. She wanted to thank him for candy canes, I think because whenever we've seen Santa in person, he's given her a candy cane. :) The rest came after some prompting. The pictures are of her and Santa.
Day 13: Read a new holiday book. Okay, anyone else remember this scratch and sniff book?? I totally remember this book from when I was little. I had no idea it was still around, but I happened upon it on Amazon. Of course, I had to get it for Lucy (us)! Nostalgia!!
Day 14: Visit Santa at the mall and take a picture with him. Ah, one of my favorite holiday traditions: Santa picture with the gang! Last year, the kids were not at all down with posing by themselves, so it was mommies and kiddos. I was very skeptical about whether Lucy would actually go up there without me, but I guess it helped that her buddies were with her, because they all just walked right up there! They are so cute, I can't stand it!
Day 16: Wear new Christmas jammies. She always gets new Christmas jammies, and she had the perfect opportunity to wear them, as Ethan and his family hosted a North Pole Breakfast at their house. Attire for kids: jammies! It was so much fun, and so cute. The kids also exchanged Secret Santa gifts again. Another super fun tradition!
Day 17: Give a gift to your teacher. Nothing big, just a bag of treats. She loves her teacher and was excited to give her a present.
Day 18: Watch a holiday movie. I thought she would enjoy Rudolph, since she knows the song.
Day 18 bonus: Drop-off food for a food collection drive, and deliver treats to friends, including Beatriz, our favorite grocery store cashier. These are two other activities I had saved up, but it worked out for us to do them today.
6 days to go! :)
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