Advent...

Every year it is a tradition in our house to do the advent calendar.  The kids really love it, they actually count down the days until it goes up so it doesn't look like there is any slacking going to happen around that in our house.  Every year we have a hand sewn calendar that goes up and inside each pocket is a little note telling the kids the treat for that day.  We don't always have chocolate or lollies more often than not we have activities for the kids to complete.  So this is what our calendar looked like this year.

And for activities that need something  to work with I just simply put them in brown paper bags with a tag for the date they are needed. The kids really love it when I do this, it's like a little stack of extra presents.

Here is out advent list for this year:

1. Popping candy
2. New DVD (Christmas in Cartoon land)
3. Dinner out with family, Nathan at scouts excursion, Emma at dancing)
4. Writing Christmas cards to friends
5. Chocolate Santa
6. Writing our letters to Santa
7. New DVD (Mr Bean's Christmas)
8. Scratchie to scratch
9. Make a calendar for relatives
10. Break up parties today - Nathan, scouts, Emma, dancing
11. New DVD and popcorn for watching
12. Making Christmas door hangers
13. Trip to the movies
14. Chocolate
15. Making a lolly tree
16. Watching an old favourite DVD - Phineas and Ferb
17. Making Christmas crackers
18. Popping Candy
19. Making little felt stockings
20. Making reindeer food
21. Chocolate
22. Christmas cooking - reindeer biscuits, gingerbread men, rum balls etc.
23. Christmas play date with friends
24. Do Santa's plate, spread reindeer food, go looking at Christmas lights.  Open new pyjamas. Check where Santa is on the web.

We also started the new tradition this year of having 24 Christmas books wrapped up with one to open and read each day leading up to Christmas.  

These are a couple of the new Christmas books we go this year.

We were also super lucky this year and got a Lego Advent Calendar.  The kids are just loving opening it each day an putting the pieces together to make Lego City. A really good advent idea.

As you can see we really love counting down to the big day in this house!