Advent countdown activities

I love this time of year!
I love the traditions we have started
and get to do year after year.
One of those is our advent countdown activities.
Here is a look at how we countdown to Christmas.
read my post here on how I put our countdown tins other.

When it comes to planning the activities for

the month I find it helpful to print out a calendar

so you can see what day of the week activities will

work best on. Also you can check to see what else is

going on. I also keep this with my day to day calendar so 

I can look ahead to prep for activities as needed.

Every year I keep a few of the activities

that have become fun family traditions for us.

This year like most years we are pretty busy.

On top of all the usual life busyness

it is my 30th birthday this year!

My husband and I are taking a mini getaway just

the two of us to Whistler!

That took away four days in which we are able to 

do the activities I had planned.

Luckily I was able to fit them in 

on days I knew we would be home.

Some days as you can see on the calendar may 

have more then one activity going on.

Below is what my calendar looks like.

After I come with a list I type 

them up on word, print them, cut them into strips,

and put them in the corresponding number tin.

Here is the list I came up with for this year.

I always include jokes with a candy for days I know

we will not be home.

Also I like to fit as many Christmas movie nights as we  can 

including a movie night with the cousins.

Chop down and decorate our Christmas tree

Lighted Christmas Parade

Make peppermint crunch milk chocolate cookies
together and watch a Christmas movie

Christmas movie with candy cane ice cream
{with brownies would be yummy!}

Pizza and movie night


Candy cane marshmallow pops for hot chocolate
and watch a Christmas movie


put together and decorate gingerbread house

Decorate sugar cone trees

make pretzel kiss treats together
and fill out letters to Santa
{for fun and the scrapbook}

Play would you rather
Christmas style with the cousins

picnic dinner by the tree
with candles

Gardner Family Christmas Party
{candy too}

Make a giant picture together

Make Christmas gifts for the kid's teachers

Sleepover by the tree and watch Christmas movies
with the cousins.  Something new this year I am
added a snack store that they can "buy"
snacks for the movies!

Christmas minute to win it games
I took ideas I thought
would be fun and easy for all family members
found here and here

write a Christmas story together

On three days we will have a joke with candy.
Here are the jokes.

Q: What do you get when you cross an

apple and a Christmas tree?

A: A pineapple!

Q: How do snowmen greet each other? 

Answer: Ice to meet you!

Knock knock!

Who’s there?

Snow.

Snow who?

Snow use, I have forgotten my name again.

Christmas Eve every year we read the Christmas

story from the Bible and the kids get new jammies

On Christmas morning we will have our traditional coyotes for breakfast. 

 I don't know the actual name for this meal that is what we called it growing up. 

 It is fried bread dough and then you can eat it with powder sugar, jam, or syrup.

If you enjoyed this list and would
like to see previous years check them out!

2011

2010

2009

To see some photos of the activities in action
you can view some of them here.