The Advent Calendar

Remember this post from two months ago, looking for ideas for my Advent Calendar?  Well, I got a ton of responses, which I proceeded to sit on for two months.  

Now that today is the first day of December, I suppose I just need to put the thing together.

I wanted to include a bible reading and an activity for each day.  After a little internet "research", I couldn't find a ready-made Children's Advent Reading, so I came up with one myself.  It's basically just the story of Jesus' birth broken up into 25 sections.  Not too exciting, but appropriate for a 1-4 year old, at least.  Of course, had I known that the Church would be handing out such a great Advent Devotional I wouldn't have spent the (admittedly brief) time putting mine together.

So, I had great ideas of sewing the verses & activities onto pieces of Christmas fabric or felt, but clearly that's not happening any time soon, so at least for this year, we'll just be using the plain cuttings.  Had I realized that's where we'd end-up, I probably would have just printed these out onto paper rather than bothering with the iron-on transfer and fabric.

But, anyway, it's done, here's our plan for the season:

     December 1 Isaiah 40: 1-5 - Make & Decorate Christmas cookies

 December 2 Matthew 1:18-21 - Sing Christmas Carols

 December 3 Matthew 1:22-25  - See the trains at Seattle Center House

 December 4 Isaiah 42: 1-5- Make a Christmas count-down-chain

December 5 Matthew 2:1-6 - Drink Hot Cocoa by the fire

 December 6 Matthew 2:7-12 - Read "Santa Claus and his Elves"

 December 7 Matthew 2:13-15 - See the Christmas Ships

 December 8 Matthew 2:16-18 - Cut out snowflakes & hand in windows

 December 9 Matthew 2:19-23 - Downtown Night - Carousel & Gingerbread houses

 December 10 Isaiah 9:6-7 - Christmas Concert at Church

 December 11 Luke 1:5-7 - Make Christmas Decorations

 December 12 Luke 1:8-10 - Read "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

 December 13 Luke 1:11-17 - Watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

 December 14 Luke 1:18-20 - Write a "Dear Santa" Letter

 December 15 Luke 1:21-25 - Watch the Whirly-gig in the candle light

 December 16 Luke 1:26-28 - Watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

 December 17 Luke 1:29-33 - See the Lights at Bellevue Botanical Gardens

 December 18 Luke 1:34-38 - Go for a drive to see Christmas Lights

 December 19 Luke 1:39-45 - See the Reindeer at Swanson's

 December 20 Luke 1:46-56 - Make a Snow Globe

 December 21 Luke 1:57-66 - Hot Chocolate before Bed

 December 22 Micah 5:2-5 - Wrap Presents

 December 23 Luke 2:1-7 - Make an ornament

     December 24 Luke 2:8-12- Read the Christmas Story  

 December 25 Luke 2:13-20 - Wear Christmas Jammies

Of course, it still remains to be seen if we'll do all of these this year (especially since we don't own any of the movies I've listed and Parker isn't allowed to watch TV yet anyway).  But I think we have a great frame-work for future Christmas traditions.