Simple Advent Calendar

         
Materials used

knitted mittens and Stockings (purchased at target)
garland
scrap paper
number stickers

Last year was the first year I used an advent calendar like this and I'm happy to say that its has become a tradition in my house.  So far we have made a different advent calendar each year but one thing stays the same we fill each day with an activity for my daughter to do.   I saw this idea on Ali Edwards blog last year but I modified it to fit our family.   I also have a special box that we picked out last year which holds sometimes surprises or maybe the materials needed to complete a certain activity.

The box holds surprises that our connected with the advent calendar.
It may hold material for a project or even surprises for her.

This years advent calendar came together very quickly,  I spotted these mittens at target and knew immediately what I would use them for.  

Here are few examples of the activities....

1.Surprise a neighbor and bake cookies and bring them to them

2. Buy a toy to donate to our local charity toy drive ( I wanted to teach her that Christmas is not about just getting gifts)

3. Take a Big Girl Bubble Bath  (this is one of my daughter favorite one)

4. Read a Christmas story (each year I try to get three new Christmas books for her to read)

5. Make a gift for the birds (In the special box I put all the materials for her to make a bird feeder out of a pine cone.  I give her a small jar of peanut butter, pine cones, and I fill a small zip lock bag full of bird seeds)

6. Game night pick out one game to play with mom and dad

7. Get your warmest PJs on and let's go for a ride to look at the Christmas decoration and lights.

8. Watch a Christmas movie (we have a basket full of Christmas DVD for her)

9. Make a card for your teacher

10,  Write grandma or grandpa a letter

11. Christmas tree camp out (this one is my daughters favorite - We act like we are having a camp out.  We light a fire in the fire place and make smores and all the lights in the house are turned off and when it's time to go to sleep we pull out our sleeping bags and sleep under the Christmas tree)

12. Go see the lights at the zoo

13.  Surprise Dad with movie tickets (This one is my favorite usually we do this one when things need to been done around the house that need to be done without the kids around if you know what I mean.  I usually grab a Movie Theater gift card and put in the special box for her to give to her Dad)

This has been a fun new tradition and I think it's going to be around for years to come.

Carrie

This was linked to Not Just a Housewife, Today's Creative Blog