Monday, November 25, 2013

Advent Activities and DeBloAdMo

Activities of Christmas Past
(I miss my sewing box.)
With 29 days to Christmas ($@%?!), it's time I start getting a little bit prepared. I am so behind this year; normally I start my Christmas shopping in July or August and am fully done by November. This year, even with a very abbreviated list, I still have only half of it done. And Christmas cards? Oh geez, if these get out at all, I'll be delighted. Heck, if I even get around to buying/making them, that will be incredible. You may need to settle for an e-card - or a Facebook poke.

So, I've gotten as far as making my Advent Calendar Activities (to be blogged next month for DeBloAdMo - what other bloggers are with me on this?! I've been trying to make this a 'thing' for the past several years! At least Cheryl and Rebekkah are usually with me on this.) Here is what my little family will be doing every day of December until Christmas, alongside our little chocolate Advent Calendars lovingly sent from Scotland by Maw McFarlane.

1. Have Lolly’s Superhero/ Powerpuff Girls Birthday Party!
2. Write our letters to Santa and post them at Wee Betty’s Cafe.
3. Make Christmas cards, and deliver cards to all the neighbours.
4. Check email for message from Santa. (www.portablenorthpole.com)
5. Watch a Christmas movie and string popcorn.
6. Make gingerbread men for the Christmas tree.
7. Have a Christmas picnic in our pajamas on the floor.
8. Donate food to Hope’s Closet at church.
9. Cut snowflakes out of felt and hang them.
10. Go on a treasure hunt to find an early present.
11. Eat dinner by candlelight only with the fancy dishes.
12. Go to Super Sleepover at Mimi and Poppy's house!
13. Edible treat (while Mum and Dad are in Seattle)
14. Edible treat
15. Edible treat
16. Edible treat
17. Make a cake for Daddy’s birthday.
18. Go out to eat for Lolly’s birthday.
19. Make reindeer food to sprinkle on Christmas Eve.
20. Make donuts for the elves on Christmas Eve.
21. Paint Christmas tree ornaments to give as gifts.
22. Drive around looking at Christmas lights.
23. Make Christmas crackers.
24. Go to Christmas Eve service, then put out snacks for Santa’s sleigh team.
25. Eat chocolate gravy for breakfast and open presents!!

We will also be starting a new tradition this Christmas, alongside our Advent Activities. I know the Elf on a Shelf thing was so last year, but I thought it was adorable, and yes, I actually LOVED all the cute photos people were posting. My mom apparently thought it was adorable too, so she has bought us one for this Christmas. She is going to deliver it to our door on the morning of December 1st with a note from Santa, telling the kids the elf is here to watch them over the next 25 days. We have named our elf Banoffee, as an homage to the overly sweet British dessert, and because according to Will Farrell, elves eat pretty much only candy and sugar.

In other new traditions starting this American year, we will do real Christmas trees instead of fake. We've always wanted to do real, but since we had a fake to start with, it always seemed like such a waste of money to go buy a real. Now that we don't have a fake one lying in a closet somewhere, we are just going to go real. I can't wait! I went looking through the trees at a shop the other day, and the smell was heavenly. I can't wait to have that smell in my house! New Google research project: Find out what kind of tree is the best.

For a while there, I was really dreading Christmas. It's expensive this year, with all the other things we have going on, but now that it's gotten cold outside (currently we have a 'wintery mix' falling outside) and lights are starting to go up on houses and decorations are in all the stores, I'm getting a little excited. It'll be a low-key Christmas this year in many respects, but I think we will have a good one anyway!  Anyway, I suppose Christmas is what you make of it; it's not about how many presents you can put under the tree, but the time you spend with your loved ones... hence the Advent Activities calendar!

Happy December, everyone!

(But before that, happy Thanksgiving! But that's a blog for another day.)


*This blog topic loosely brought to you by Mike, who mentioned I write about the Holidays.

2 comments:

  1. I'll join in for the advent blogging. Probably not every day, but as I'm doing good for blogging abt my 10pm bedtime club I should be good for most days :) you should get a linky thing done, ur good at that sort of thing :)

    ReplyDelete

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