Starting to think about Christmas

Christmas is always celebrated in a big way in our house.  We love all the things that surround the Christmas season.  We always have an advent calendar and over the years the calendars have changed and so have the surprises you find in the pockets.  Last year I made a new advent calendar (you can read about it here) and we will use it again this year, in fact I hope for many years.

We also change the way we do our advent calendar last year, in years past we have just had treats like lollies or chocolates but now we have activities etc.  I loved it last year and so did the kids.  I have started thinking about this years activities etc (some take a bit of organisation) so I thought I would share what I have come up with so far. 

Here is the list (in no particular order)

• write Christmas cards
• a Christmas chocolate treat
• do Christmas puzzles (like word finds, colour by number etc)
• put up the Christmas tree and decorate the house
• write our letters to Santa
• a trip to Brisbane on the train to look at the Myer Christmas window and ride on Santa's train
• make gingerbread men
• wrap teacher presents
• visit the Christmas lights
• read a new Christmas story
• a trip to Australia zoo
• go to the movies and see a Christmas flick
• play date with friends
• make reindeer food
• make Christmas crackers
• Christmas cooking (shortbread trees, rocky road etc)
• watch a Christmas DVD with popcorn
• prepare Santa's plate
• track Santa on the web
• make a gingerbread house
• sew some Christmas decorations
• go the the Christmas parade/carols by candlelight

Some of these things happen more than once and when I do up the final list some might get scrapped but this is my draft.  What do you think?  If you have any other cool ideas I would love to hear them.

My next Christmas job - the Christmas gift list...this needs some serious consideration and action before I end up in a mad pre-Christmas panic!