If you haven’t already put together an advent calendar, do this today with your family. A simple idea to get you started is to wrap up 25 Christmas books and put them under the tree. Unwrap and read one each night until Christmas. This is a simple, inexpensive, and nearly plan-free way to do your advent calendar and your kids will love hearing a new Christmas story every night. Be sure to remember your favorites and reuse them next year. Here are the Top 10 Christmas Picture Books from about.com:
- Jan Brett’s Christmas Treasury
- Antonella and her Santa Claus
- The Nativity
- The Polar Express
- A Baby Born in Bethlehem
- The Legend of the Poinsettia
- The Little Drummer Boy
- B is for Bethlehem
- All for the Newborn Baby
Our advent calendar this year was inspired by Martha Stewart. At last year’s day-after-Christmas sale at Target I bought 25 mini stockings, but I could have just as easily used regular Christmas socks or hung colorful envelopes. Each little stocking has a little piece of paper inside that says what we’re going to do that day to celebrate Christmas.
Advent calendars are so much fun for your family because they get you doing things to celebrate Christmas rather than just opening presents on Christmas day. Our advent calendar helps us remember to take the time to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and focus on giving and being together as a family rather than just presents. And advent calendars also create even more anticipation for the big day!
Other ideas for advent calendars:
- wrap up little boxes
- have a jar with 25 slips of paper
- put your advent activities in festive envelopes and have them mailed to your house, one to arrive each day
The possibilities are endless. Be creative and have fun!
More Christmas Tutorials of Interest:
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