This is my FAVORITE time of year! While I enjoy Christmas day, I much prefer the Christmas season. And my hands-down favorite part of December is my family’s 25 Days of Christmas Activity Advent Calendar.
Every day in December, my kids pull a slip from my calendar and discover a holiday or family activity we’ll do that day. It’s a fun way to not only celebrate the Christmas season but to spend intentional quality time with your children.
When we began the tradition, I created simple folded paper “cups” that I decorated with scrapbook paper, stickers, old Christmas cards, etc. You can read my full tutorial on how to create these cups in my DIY 25 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar post.
My paper cups now hang on a wooden tree my husband crafted for me.
Over the years, our activities have varied – accommodating our children’s interests, our current budget, time restrictions, worldwide pandemics, etc. 😉 However, there are a handful of activities all four kids have come to rely on being a part of the calendar each year. (If we didn’t go on a Christmas lights drive or celebrate “Rudolph Day” – my kids would be very sad!) Establishing these little traditions brings us joy and the thrill of anticipation, wonder, and surprise. It’s a little bit of very “do-able” holiday cheer. Slips and activities can be very simple or uber-elaborate. (Do what works for YOU! Choose JOY not stress!) The real point is spending time with your loved ones, relishing the joy of the season.
Most of the activities I select can be done for free or at a low cost. I tend to select one or two “bigger” activities each year, such as a movie in the theater or one of our local Christmas events (Ie- Zoolights, PIR, etc.) You can check out a list of ideas in my post 25 Days of Christmas, OR you can follow along this December on my Facebook page, Instagram page, and right here on the blog.
Each day this month, I’ll be sharing our daily activity on my social media pages and will share blog posts of our favorite days. I hope you’ll follow along with the Christmas fun and perhaps find an idea or two that you’d like to do with your family. Have fun, follow along, and have a very Merry Christmas!
