Preparing for Advent

Last year we started a new family tradition for Advent. We count down the days to Christmas by unwrapping one of our Christmas books and reading it before bedtime. We also do a small activity that is related to the book. This year's line up is as follows:   

1. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey -- Put up our Nativity
2. An Ellis Island Christmas -- Bring one favorite stuffed animal/doll to story time
3. Christmas Tapestry -- Look at and do some repairs to my childhood quilt with kids
4. Grandfather's Christmas Camp -- Have hot chocolate with crackers
5. The Crippled Lamb -- Talk about what makes each of us special and unique
6. Christmas in the Trenches -- Listen to songs by John McCutcheon
7. Too Many Tamales -- Eat Mexican food, maybe some Tamales?
8. The Animals' Christmas Carol -- Put out birdseed treats for wild animals
9. The Biggest Snowman Ever -- Make snowmen out of marshmallows and eat them
10. One Winter's Night -- Attend the live performance of Return to Bethlehem at a local church
11. The Chanakkah Guest -- Have a Jewish meal and play a Jewish game
12. Gingerbread Baby -- Eat gluten-free gingerbread while Daddy reads
13. Jingle the Christmas Clown -- Make star cookies for the neighbors
14. The Christmas Day Kitten -- Wrap up cat treats for Grandma's cat
15. The Dog Who Found Christmas -- Wrap up dog treats for our dog
16. The Legend of the Poinsettia -- Make Poinsettia ornament
17. All Is Well -- Collect a box of give-away for Goodwill
18. Woodland Christmas -- Sing the 12 days of Christmas
19. The Steadfast Tin Soldier -- Eat biscuits with a small toy baked into them
20. Merry Christmas Strega Nona -- Eat late night pizza
21. Silver Packages -- Wrap sibling's gifts
22. Drummer Boy -- Play music together
23. The Christmas Candle -- Read the story by candle light
24. The Christmas Story -- Go to church

We place the Advent books under the tree. The kids will have fun taking them out each day and then doing the little activity. I have numbered the packages to correspond with the day.

Blessings, Dawn