Countdown to Christmas, Part Two

There are so many good ideas for making the most of the month of December, so here is part two of Countdown to Christmas.

Here are different versions and adaptations of Countdown Down to Christmas:

• 25 Days of Christmas Count Down by Blue Cricket Design
• A Simpler Season Countdown to Christmas by Life As Mom
• 25 Holiday Activities for Kids by Sheri Reed at The Stir (Toddler-aged activities)
• Advent Calendar Activities at Family Fun
• Advent Countdown Calendar by Design Dazzle.

Years ago, I started a family advent tradition at our house consisting of activities, good deeds, crafts, outings, and more to be done each day in December.  I wanted to focus on family, the spirit of giving, and, of course, Jesus.  I hoped to take the focus off all the commercialism and marketing schemes.  Thankfully, it worked.  Our family enjoys the activities as much -- or more -- than the gifts of Christmas morning.  Our advent tradition is a favorite of both mine and the kids. 

Some activity ideas:

1. Go Christmas caroling.
2. Have a hot chocolate bar for the kids and the neighborhood kids after a fun day of sled riding.
3. Visit Santa Claus and have photos taken.
4. Introduce the Elves for the Christmas season.*  Elf on the Shelf is a great tradition that we have done in our home for over five years. More information about the Elves in a later post.
5. Host a family game night and invite another family.
6. Bake cookies and other desserts for gifts (and the annual open house).
7. Deliver cookies, brownies, cupcakes, etc., to local fire fighters, police officers, and senior citizen centers.*
8. Go to a Christmas tree farm to pick out the traditional family Christmas tree.
9. Have a Christmas tree decorating party.  Invite the aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  Take lots of photographs.
10. Go shopping for the annual Christmas ornament based on the children's likes and interests for this past year.  Each child gets to pick out a new ornament.
11. Build a gingerbread house and gingerbread family.*
12. Take the annual family Christmas photos.
13. Write letters to Santa and take them to the post office.*
14. Make a birthday cake for Jesus.*
15. Have a Christmas movie marathon.*
16. Decorate the house with the help from the children.
17. Let the kids create some Christmas cards for their teachers and grandparents.*
18. Have a picnic dinner by the light of the Christmas tree.*
19. Let the children decorate their own Christmas tree.*
20. Host a Christmas craft party for your children and their friends.
21. Have a Christmas wrapping party for the kids.
22. Snuggle up and read Christmas stories.
23. Have a Christmas scavenger hunt.
24. Talk about Jesus and his birth and the true reason of Christmas.*
25. Have kids go through their old toys to donate to a local charity. My kids love this part of Christmas.*
26. Sleep under the Christmas tree.
27. Go dollar store shopping with cousins.* 
28. Help a family in need by shopping for food, necessities, and one gift for each member of the family.*
29. Take a drive around town to see all the beautiful Christmas lights and outside decorations.*
30. Make Christmas gifts, such as gifts in a jar, cross-stitch, ornaments.*
31. Make What Are We Thankful For paper chain garland.*
32. Learn about Christmas traditions in other countries.*
33. Learn about Kwanzaa.* (My daughter wants to learn more about her heritage.)
34. Read the Christmas story from the Bible (usually done on Christmas day).*
35. Make Magic Reindeer Food.*
36. Snowman making contest.
37. Play a Christmas trivia game. Make your own game.  Many facts can be found online and at your local library.
38. Attend Christmas Eve service at a local church.*
39. See the awesome lights at Hartwood Acres.*
40. Play Christmas games.
41. Make and eat a red and green dinner.
42. Go to the local Christmas parade.
43. See the fabulous Christmas tree display at Kraynak's.*
44. Participate in Operation Christmas Card.*
45. Make Christmas gift tags from last year's Christmas cards.*
46. Participate in Operation Shoebox.
47. Participate in Operation Christmas Child.*
48. Journal - Top 10 Christmas Carols, Top 5 Gifts of All Time, Most Favorite Christmas, What Does Christmas Mean to You.
49. Let the kids decorate their rooms.
50. Track Santa online.*
51. Make a Christmas wish list.
52. Offer to babysit for a single mother so she can go Christmas shopping without the kids.
53. Make Christmas ornaments.*
54. Make Christmas Countdown Tree.
55. Scrapbook all the activities and chaos of the Christmas season.*

* denotes the traditions we do in our home.

Dollar Store Shopping
Each cousin draws a name from a hat and shops for that person. Then, we all gather at our house to wrap the gifts.  After a fun dinner of party foods, the kids open their gifts.

Magic Reindeer Food
Mix 1/4 cup oatmeal and sprinkle of red or green sugar crystals. Put in a small Ziploc bag or small baby food container.

Paper Chain Garland
Each day the kids write something they are thankful for and add the new "chain" to the garland.  Each person who visits during the holidays is asked to participate.

Wrapping Paper Party
The kids make their own wrapping paper.  Then, they wrap as many presents as possible.  They also create Christmas gift tags. Our wrapping has evolved over the years.

Add your own family traditions . . . and create new traditions.

You can choose to do only one activity a day or to do 3-4 activities each day.  For us, it depended on the mood of the kids.  The "extra" activities were listed on a piece of paper in my desk drawer.

Countdown to Christmas

Based on the last post I wrote -- about Advent -- this article continues the idea of a countdown to Christmas.

There are many ways to commemorate the Christmas spirit throughout the month of December.  These ideas are based on doing a countdown from the first of December through Christmas Eve (unless otherwise noted).  The activities are for the whole family to enjoy together.

Christmas Books - Put 25 books (wrapped in Christmas paper, if you wish) in a basket.  Read a book each night before bed. There are many books about Christmas, the birth of Jesus, and the holiday season.

Advent Calendar - Open the door (drawer, box, etc.) and find a small surprise.  There are many many many versions of this type of calendar in the stores and online.

Jesse Tree - The Jesse Tree represents the family of Jesse, father of King David.  Out of this family line, God would take flesh and live among the people of Earth. The genealogy of Jesus, Matthew 1:1-17, names a person from each generation before Jesus' birth.  Make or add an ornament each day that represents the ancestors of Jesus.

Daily Scripture Readings (4 weeks)

1. Luke 21:5-19
2. Matthew 21:1-11
3. Matthew 21:12-22
4. Matthew 21:23-32
5. Matthew 21:33-46
6. Matthew 22:1-14
7. Matthew 22:15-22
8. Luke 1:57-68
9. Matthew 22:23-33
10. Matthew 22:34-46
11. Matthew 23:1-12
12. Matthew 23:13-26
13. Matthew 23:27-39
14. Matthew 24:1-14
15. John 5:30-47
16. Matthew 24:15-31
17. Matthew 24:32-44
18. Matthew 24:45-51
19. Matthew 25:1-13
20. Matthew 25:14-30
21. Matthew 25:31-46
22. John 3:16-21
23. Luke 1:1-25
24. Luke 1:26-38
25. Luke 1:39-56
26. Luke 1:57-66
27. Luke 1:67-80
28. Matthew 1:18-25

Community Cares

1. Bake cookies, brownies, and other sweets, then deliver them to a local fire company &/or police station.
2. Go Christmas caroling at a local senior citizen center.
3. Do a Christmas craft with a local Head Start class.
4. Shovel the sidewalk/driveway for an elderly neighbor.
5. Help a local Boy Scout or Girl Scout group buy presents for a low-income family .
6. Provide babysitting for a single parent so they can go shopping without the kids.
7. Donate a Christmas tree to a local library.
8. Donate money to your favorite charity.
9. Help out at your local soup kitchen.
10. Provide mittens, hats, & scarves to less fortunate classmates.
11. Host a food drive for a local food bank.
12. Volunteer your time at a local pet shelter.
13. Host a Christmas book reading for kids at a local library.
14. Help low-income families by making a gift to the Dollar Energy Fund via your local gas or electric company.
15. Anonymously pay for the coffee/tea/pop/water for the next person in line.
16. Invite a homeless person over for a home-cooked meal.
17. Make ornaments with kids from your church to decorate the Christmas tree in the sanctuary.
18. Spend time - getting to know a person and talking about past Christmases - with a person from a senior citizens center.
19. Pamper a cancer patient with a stocking of beauty and health care products.
20. Create Christmas art with the kids to hang in the local veterans center.
21. Provide hot chocolate &/or mulled cider for local emergency room doctors, nurses, and staff.
22. Be an elf (or Santa) and deliver small gifts to a local children's hospital.
23. Donate a Bible to a youngster via the Angel Tree program.
24. Visit and pray with those incarcerated at a local jail.
25. Invite all the friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc.,  - who have no place to go - over for Christmas dinner.

 

 Of course, you can combine more than one idea to create your own unique countdown.

Easy Homemade Gifts to Make for Christmas

We certainly love to receive gifts but there is more joy from giving gifts. This, unfortunately, can turn into an expensive venture as our list of recipients continues to grow and the prices continue to creep higher. A fantastic way to give Christmas gifts is to make them yourself. This is not only a great cost-saving way to give, it also adds a personal touch to your gifts and is a terrific bonding activity for the whole family. Get your creative juices flowing with these great homemade Christmas gift ideas:

Box of Homemade Christmas Ornaments

This is a great gift idea for anyone as it can be personalized to suit ages and personal interests. You will need a box of plain round Christmas ball ornaments. For a sports fan family, you can paint the ornament to look like a soccer ball, a basketball, a baseball, and so on. You can also paint on personalized season greetings or names. Another idea is to put colorful beads, metallic shreds/tinsel, a feather (to represent an angel), paint (then swirl ornament around to get good coverage), or small toys inside. More ideas include placing a small photo or flower insides.

Box of International Teas (or Coffee)

This is a great way for your family and friends to experience different tastes of the world. Invest in a number of different boxes of tea from different places in the world. Many types of tea can be found at your local supermarket or mass merchandise store, for example, green tea from China, masala tea from India, black tea from Kenya, Earl grey tea from the UK, etc. For more specialized tea, you can find great deals online, especially if you buy in bulk. Then pack them in pretty plastic bags, simple baskets, or mugs. Remember to  include a card explaining the different types of tea and where they are from.

Box of Homemade Treats

Roll up your sleeves and get your hands sticky making homemade fudge, cupcakes, truffles, mini loaves of bread, brownies, candy, &/or cookies. These are fun to make, fun to decorate, and fun to eat. Get out the tried and true family recipes to use. 

Personalized Wrapping

Get creative with your wrapping too. Many options include pretty but inexpensive plates, mugs, disposable foil pans, colorful plastic wrap, and Christmas patterned Ziploc bags.

Written by Nisha Sharma from Freebies365.co.uk and Storm Litz.

100 Days of Holidays

100 Days of Holidays starts next week.  Create a holiday haven that will sparkle all season long the new 100 Days of Holidays e-mail newsletter. The FREE Better Homes and Gardens® holiday e-newsletter arrives daily starting September 24 and runs through January 1, from Halloween to New Years you’ll get an easy-to-read email filled with:

• Free pumpkin-carving stencils
• Complete Thanksgiving menus
• Stunning centerpiece ideas
• 100s of Christmas cookies
• Handmade ornaments you’ll love

Trees To Dye For

Wrote an article today for the Christmas Examiner on dying bottlebrush trees.  Go check it out.

12 Days of Kid's Christmas Crafts #12

There are many resources, ideas, and content for kids' crafts online. Below is a brief list:

1. Kids Christmas Crafts
2. Christmas Crafts for Kids
3. Free Christmas Crafts
4. Kids Christmas Craft Network
5. Christmas Crafts for Kids
6. Celebrating Christmas Crafts for Kids
7. Kids Christmas Projects
8. Christmas Craft Freebies
9. Homemade Christmas Crafts
10. Christmas Ornaments
11. Christmas Crafts
12. Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make

Have fun creating crafts, ornaments, gifts, and, most of all, memories with your kids.

12 Days of Kid's Christmas Crafts #11

Puzzle Wreath

Old puzzle pieces
green paint
Glue gun or Elmer's glue
ribbon
Red and green sequins, optional
Picture, optional

Using a paper plate or plastic container lid as the work surface to give yourself a guideline. Make a rectangle on the "bottom layer." Pieces will just be placed there. It is the next layer that holds everything in place. Add a drop of glue on one side of two neighboring puzzle pieces, then place a new puzzle piece on top to cement the bond. This is what holds the wreath together.

Glue top layer of puzzle pieces to bottom layer so that they form a wreath that can be picked up.

Paint all the puzzle pieces green.

Add green and red sequins.

Add a picture to the back of the frame.

A nice finishing touch is a little ribbon. If you want to hang it from your tree, use a longer ribbon.

12 Days of Kid's Christmas Crafts #10

Chenille stems make the easiest candy canes.

White chenille stems
Red chenille stems
Scissors

Hold one white and one red chenille stem side by side (they should be of equal length). Twist one end together and then twist together working your way down to the bottom.

Twist the bottom ends together to secure. Then bend into candy cane shape.

Other ideas:

• Try different sizes by cutting chenille in half.
• Try different styles of chenille, including bumpy or glittery chenille, for a different look.
• Add pony beads or tri beads.

12 Days of Kid's Christmas Crafts #9

Pine Cone Christmas Tree

Use it as a Christmas decoration or as a tree ornament. This is a simple craft that even young children can help make.

Large, open pine cone (pick one that is tree-shaped and stands upright easily)
Glitter
Cotton balls
Elmer's glue
Dental floss and a needle
Small beads
A small bow or star (to top off your little tree)

Glue a few cotton balls to the bottom of the pine cone. These look like snow and help the "tree" stand upright.

Put a little dab of glue at the tips of the pine cone and then sprinkle on glitter.

String some small beads onto dental floss (about 1 to 1 1/2 ft or more, depending on the size of the pine cone). To string the beads easily, tie one bead securely to the string. When the stringing is done, tie off the last bead with a knot. Wrap the beads around the pine cone and glue them to the tree.

Top off your tree with a small bow or other decoration.

12 Days of Kid's Christmas Crafts #8

White art paper, kraft paper, or solid wrapping paper
Scissors
Dry sponge
Craft paint

Cut dry sponge (sponges with tiny holes work the best) into irregular shapes. Dip sponges in paint, squeeze excess paint out and blot onto paper. You can stamp each sponge several times before re-dipping in the paint.

This even dresses up plain newspaper wrapping!

12 Days of Kid's Christmas Crafts #7

Santa Face

Small paper plate
Flesh-tone craft paint
Red craft foam
Cotton balls
2 googly eyes
1 pink pom-pom
Scissors
Glue
Paintbrush
Red marker

Turn the paper plate upside down and paint it with a flesh tone of your choice. Set the plate aside to dry.

Cut a hat shape out of red craft foam and glue a cotton ball to the tip of the hat and then glue a line of cotton balls along the bottom of the hat. Once the paper plate is dry, glue the bottom of the hat to the top of the paper plate.

Glue a "beard" of cotton balls -- for a more realistic look pull cotton balls apart before gluing -- along the outside edge of the paper plate.

Glue two googly eyes onto the plate near the hat and glue a pink pom-pom under the eyes as a nose.

Cut a cotton ball in half and glue above the eyes as eyebrows.

Cut a cotton ball in half and pull it slightly to form a mustache. Glue under the nose.

Use the red marker to draw a smile under the mustache.

Optional Use craft wire to bend into shape to make glasses.

12 Days of Kid's Christmas Crafts #6

What a great way to keep your favorite Christmas cards.

Recycled Christmas cards
Clear contact paper
Scissors

Cut or tear the fronts of old Christmas cards from the back. Discard backs. Lay a 12" x 18" piece of clear contact paper sticky side up on your work surface. Arrange card fronts to completely cover the contact paper, overlapping and pressing them right side up on the sticky surface of the paper. Cover the front with another piece of contact paper. Trim.

12 Days of Kid's Christmas Crafts #5

Based on hand prints and foot prints this treasured Christmas craft is easy to do with pleasing results.

Brown construction paper, for the reindeer's face
Yellow or gold construction paper, for the antlers
Red pom-pom or small wad of red tissue paper
Googly eyes
Glue

Trace around child's foot brown construction paper and cut out the shape.

Trace around child's hands onto yellow or gold construction paper. Cut these shapes out. Glue the hands on as antlers.

Glue on a red pom pom or a ball of red tissue paper as the reindeer's nose and glue on googly eyes.

12 Days of Kid's Christmas Crafts #4

Here's a new twist on an old favorite - microwave salt dough Christmas ornaments. Just follow the simple recipe, cut out your favorite cookie cutter shapes, and microwave a plate of ornaments at a time.

If you are looking for some fun and inexpensive crafts to do this Christmas, making ornaments with salt dough is a good choice. Basically, with salt, flour, water and some decorations you can make beautiful ornaments to give as gifts to family and friends.

4 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1-1/2 cups of hot water
holiday cookie cutters
decorations - glitter, paint, beads, etc.

Mix all the ingredients together.

Use Christmas cookie cutters to cut a variety of Christmas themed icons.

Use a toothpick to make a hole for hanging, being sure to make the hole a little larger than you will want as the dough tends to shrink when baking.

Using a microwave-safe plate (not paper or cardboard), microwave a plate of your ornaments for 1 to 4 minutes, increasing the time by 1 minute increments and keeping a close eye on the microwave as the ornaments bake. Microwave power levels differ greatly, so use high power in a less-powerful oven, but the lower power setting it if your oven tends to heat things very quickly. Let the ornaments cool completely before decorating.

Properly dried the ornaments should last for years.

12 Days of Kid's Christmas Crafts #3

Silver &/or blue tinsel pipe cleaners, 2 per snowflake
Blue, white, and silver plastic pony beads
Scissors

Cut the pipe cleaners in half so that you have 4 pieces.Make a cross with two pieces, twist and secure. then add the other two pieces, twist and secure.

Add a few beads to each piece of pipe cleaner. Bend the ends of each piece just enough to prevent the beads from falling off. Add an ornament hanger or make a loop with the pipe cleaner for hanging.

Food Coloring For Easter Eggs

I know there are many "do it yourself" types that can make neat colors for your Easter eggs. If you have your own dipping tools and cups, this chart will come in handy.

Following each color listed below, you will find the number of drops of each food coloring to be added to about 2 - 4 ounces of vinegar for dipping.

Lime - 24 yellow, 4 green
Purple - 15 blue, 5 red
Cantaloupe - 24 yellow, 2 red
Jade - 17 green, 3 blue
Plum - 10 red, 4 blue
Spearmint - 12 green, 6 yellow, 2 blue
Raspberry - 14 red, 6 blue
Maize - 24 yellow, 1 red
Watermelon - 25 red, 2 blue
Teal - 15 green, 5 blue
Grape - 17 blue, 3 red
Fuchsia - 18 red, 2 blue
Orange Sunset - 17 yellow, 3 red
Jungle Green - 14 green, 6 yellow

To make larger volumes, just keep the ratio the same (for example, Lime is 24 parts yellow to 4 parts green; a ratio of 6 to 1).

12 Days of Kid's Christmas Crafts #2

These are so easy to make you will be amazed. Grab some glass ball ornaments and some paint and decorate these pretty and festive tree accents.

Glass ball ornaments
Red and green acrylic paint
Paint brush
ribbon

Turn an empty egg carton upside down. This will serve as your stand as you decorate.

Place ornament upside down on egg carton, resting it between egg cups.

Using the handle end of a paint brush, dip the end of the handle into paint then dot onto the ornament. You will need to re-dip after each dot. Change the size of the polka dots by using different sized paint brushes. Dot all around the ornament and let dry completely.

Once dry, tie a piece of ribbon through the hanger hook on the ornament.

Adapted from craft found at Kaboose.com.

12 Days of Kid's Christmas Crafts

Make your very own Christmas tree to display on your holiday table.

Styrofoam cone
Green felt
Goldenrod or yellow felt
Assorted small craft items in assorted colors
3 stems of red glittery chenille
1 stem red skinny chenille
1 stem white skinny chenille
Scissors
Hot glue gun with adult supervision or Elmer's glue

Lay Styrofoam cone on top of felt. Roll up to cover, trim excess, leaving ½” overlap at the bottom of the cone. Glue felt all around the cone. Cut slits in the felt overlap at the bottom, every couple of inches. Glue overlapping flaps to the bottom of the cone.

Add garland by gluing red glittery chenille stems around the cone.

Glue craft jewels, buttons, sequins, etc., to the tree as ornaments.

Twist together red and white skinny chenille stems. Cut in to 1” lengths. Bend top of each length to form a candy cane, glue candy canes to the garland on the tree.

Cut out a star from felt and glue to the top of the tree.

Tips:

• Styrofoam cones are available in various sizes at your local craft supply store or discount stores.
• Change the color of the felt to a lighter green or even white for a different twist, or pick a different color of chenille for the garland.

Adapted by craft found at Kaboose.com.

Your Christmas Scrapbook - Journaling #3

What are your holiday traditions? Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Do you leave anything out for Santa?

Your Christmas Scrapbook - Journaling #2

Journaling

When December rolls around, do you excitedly break out boxes of holiday decorations? What Christmas decor do you collect . . . village houses, snow globes, snowmen, or nativities? What is your most cherished holiday heirloom? Which item have you acquired this past Christmas season?