What's the first item you're doing on your Advent calendar (tomorrow)?

[ourbabygirl]

I made our paper chain tonight to count down the days (alternating red, green, and white paper) and have the calendar ready to go for the month :yay:... just wondering what's the first Christmas-y/ Advent-y thing you're doing with your kids. :)

Now that we're coming into December, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

[AbbysMom]

We're going to a sing-a-long at a local library. Our first year doing the Advent calendar - we'll see how it goes!

[m448]

We have some treats (I made our advent calendar, it's individual tubish things filled with a treat and an activity), a few verses from Luke 2 and we're breaking out the Playmobil nativity set. Nothing major. Although we did decorate a gingerbread house today. Good times, good times.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Bringing out the Lego advent calendar and the 3 other countdown things will be the excitement tomorrow. :)

Beth

[ourbabygirl]

m448: O.k., I just checked out the picture on your blog, and your creation is FABULOUS! :jammin::bowdown::applause: I love the array of colors and would never have guessed you made it with scrapbook paper and hot glue!
Lovely! :heartbeat:

[m448]

Thank you but I'm soooo deficient in the paper crafts. I did spend one evening looking through this wonderful flickr pool of advent calendar for ideas:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/561389@N24/pool/

It had to be cheap this year, and easily made since I knew my ADHD would kick in right after Thanksgiving LOL.

[elizabethkott]

I just hung up our advent calendar. It's one that my mom bought at a holiday craft fair when I was one! It's red felt, with a green felt tree, and 24 pockets with felt ornaments that get hung up each day. The first pocket has the ice cream cone in it! I always set up the ornaments so that they get progressively more "Christmas-y" each day.
Tonight we did the Elf on the Shelf for the first time. J's very excited, and named his elf "Jake".
He also put his "letter to Santa" in our special Santa mailbox, and Santa has already retrieved the letter and left him some candy.
And Santa's elves will sneak into his room and put up the Christmas wall clings I got at allposters.com.
Can you tell I'm excited?!

[rlu]

already? I knew we were in advent, but really hadn't processed what that meant. Ack. The month has flown by. Finding the advent calendar will be our excitment for the day. Maybe while DS is at school tomorrow.

We got a wooden barn-like structure with numbered doors from Target two years ago. We fill it with little angel band, snowmen, Santas, etc., from one of those candle-driven fan carousels (clear as mud?) that fell apart years ago so we salvaged the characters and now create a little village scene in front of the structure.

We also have several outings planned to intersperse with the figures. Need to add in baking cookies. Looking forward to seeing others' suggestions.

eta: time to pull out the Christmas books. We don't have 25 yet, but I'll be on the lookout for new books to add to our collection.

eta: found it during school today!

[infocrazy]

Bugger...have to go find that! I have no idea what to put in there. I can't believe tomorrow is December!

[sgmango]

Our first door has an event inside - in the evening, we are drinking hot chocolate in our Christmas pjs while we decorate our Christmas tree. I can't wait!

[Seitvonzu]

we're doing the playmobil advent calendar...i constructed the box and figures tonight while dh was doing the lights on the tree-- he had the hard job! i'm hoping my 23 month old doesn't try to eat the pieces...we'll see :)

we also have an advent book with a story for each night. we read the intro tonight.

tomorrow we'll also get the advent wreath out and start lighting the candles and saying our little prayers each night.

oh, and i picked up a little set of books at b&n last year on deep discount. she get one of those each day until christmas too-- they are little "book" ornaments, really cute. i think she'll love it!

[marie]

I'm still making our advent calendar - argh!!!

As DH pointed out, we can start it after dinner tomorrow. No one says it has to be done first thing in the morning, right? right? 'cause I'm not pulling an all-nighter to finish it. . .

So, it's a wool felt tree with an ornament or part of a snowman for each day. It's my first wool felt project and I'm really pleased with how it is shaping up. I still haven't figured out how I'm going to hang it, though.

Happy December!

[rlu]

I'm still making our advent calendar - argh!!!

As DH pointed out, we can start it after dinner tomorrow. No one says it has to be done first thing in the morning, right? right? 'cause I'm not pulling an all-nighter to finish it. . .

So, it's a wool felt tree with an ornament or part of a snowman for each day. It's my first wool felt project and I'm really pleased with how it is shaping up. I still haven't figured out how I'm going to hang it, though.

Happy December!

Absolutely - ours sits on our dining room table and we open the door after dinner each night. Make it part of the bedtime routine if you want.

[alien_host]

I finished the Playmobil Advent "assembly" maybe an hour ago! (thank goodness I read here that it had to be assembled or I would have never done it!

I usually have the first day be: "Take out the Little People Nativity Set" so I'll do that and the Playmobil one and hope DD doesn't want to open every door!

We are going to do it after dinner b/c with the PBK Halloween House, DD was bugging me every morning to "hide" something....I'm pretty sure the Christmas one will go the same way, unfortunately.

[lablover]

I was scrambling too and I don't have any crafts or activities planned yet, so the first day was "Read Frosty the Snowman at bedtime." DS was very excited - phew! We also have the lego calendar this year for DS and a felt calendar with pieces to put on each day for DD. Off to search for the thread that lists advent calendar activity ideas!

[ourbabygirl]

In case anyone wants it, here's a list of the activities we're doing (more or less, as DD is only 13 months old) :). [In no particular order:]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Make a red and green paper chain and tear off one link each day leading up to Christmas


Make Christmas cookies and/or treats, and share them with friends or family


Make homemade Christmas tree ornaments, and bring them to a nursing home during a visit


Donate a toy to Toys for Tots or something similar


Donate food and household items to a shelter or charity


Call a relative and sing a Christmas carol


Go sledding or snow tubing


Make snow angels and/or a snowman in the yard


Set up a nativity set somewhere in the house


Make and decorate gingerbread people or a house


Drive around to look at the Christmas lights, and drink hot cocoa or cider and eat peppermint bark while listening to Christmas music


Write & send a letter to someone you’re thankful for (a teacher/ relative/ friend/ etc.)


Go to a holiday program/ play/ concert at your school or church


Commit a random act of kindness for a stranger ☺


Watch a holiday movie


Read a holiday book


Make a new ornament for the tree
Go see Santa and have a picture taken with him


Write a Christmas poem and share it during the meal on Christmas Eve or Day


Put up Christmas lights, and remember Jesus, the Light of the World.


Read Isaiah 9:6


Read Luke 2:1-7


Write a Christmas prayer and share it before the meal on Christmas Eve/ Day


Read a book about the birth of Jesus


Sing “Joy to the World” and clap out the beat as you sing


Read Luke 2:15-20 and enjoy candy canes shaped like shepherd canes


Light a candle, then turn off all the lights and sing “Silent Night.”


Draw pictures of the first Christmas


Cut an apple in half across the core, and see the star inside. Read Matthew 2:1-2


Go outside and look at the stars. Talk about the special star God placed above the stable.


Visit a church or other place that has a special nativity display


Write and illustrate your own Christmas storybook


Learn about the Christmas traditions other countries have. Share in one that seems fun or represents your family’s background.


Make paper snowflakes to hang in the windows


Make a birdfeeder out of a big pinecone, peanut butter, and birdseed, and hang it out on a tree

[elephantmeg]

we always did the paper chain things growing up. I may prep them during nap and start it tonight. They didn't usually have things written on them but I think I'll start them :)

[elephantmeg]

we made sugar cookies! Trains because I can't find the rest of the cookie cutters. Thanks for the inspiration!

[zoestargrove]

today's activity was simple - paper snowflakes!

[Melaine]

Well, we built a really ghetto gingerbread house a little while ago. It has collapsed four times already! But the girls enjoyed it and I got a picture!

[AnnieW625]

DD gets the religious ones from Grandma so we just read what the card says. We never had an activity growing up for advent, but besides the Biblical advent calendar we also did the paper chain. Maybe DD and I will make one tonight and I could put a little activity on each chain!

[daisymommy]

LOVE the paper cone Advent swag! What did you put inside them? I took the easy way out and bought chocolate Advent calendars at Trader Joe's last week, but the type A personality side of me is starting to some out now, and feels the need to do more...

BTW, I did see that Target has the really nice wooden houses with all the little doors/drawers again this year. Bought one last year, but unsure as to what to put in it...it was just to cute to pass up ;)

[m448]

Amy I went with hershey's kisses and mini milky ways - basically my favorites LOL. Then there's a slip of paper inside with each activity or the verse. Today we set out the playmobil nativity and the boys loved playing with it (apparently mary gets an "office" like momma that is separate from Joseph's).

Tomorrow we make construction paper mittens.

Melaine, around here it's not Christmas unless the kids totally massacre a gingerbread house decorating and then proceed to pester me about the candy until I get tired of that and chuck the house. We'll see how many days I hold out this year, last year it was on day 3.

[hellokitty]

OMG, that stupid playmobil advent calendar took me over 35 min to put together!!! I did not realize it would be that time consuming. I also put up our LL Bean train advent, but have not put anything (activity ideas) in it yet.

[hellokitty]

Well, we built a really ghetto gingerbread house a little while ago. It has collapsed four times already! But the girls enjoyed it and I got a picture!

I hate trying to build a traditional gingerbread house, I agree, they do look ghetto. I tried to do a wilton halloween house last yr and omg it sure turned out ugly and I got stressed out doing it with my kids. Next wk our local library is doing a gingerbread workshop. Last yr we went and it was FANTASTIC! Instead of gingerbread, they make a cardboard, "house" (thick cardboard and duct taped together) and then used frosting to, "glue" graham crackers to the house and then decorate on top of that with all sorts of candies. It was sooo much easier, and looked great! I just signed my kids up again to do it next wk and we got the last two spots! It fills up fast, b/c it is so fun.

[brittone2]

I hate trying to build a traditional gingerbread house, I agree, they do look ghetto. I tried to do a wilton halloween house last yr and omg it sure turned out ugly and I got stressed out doing it with my kids. Next wk our local library is doing a gingerbread workshop. Last yr we went and it was FANTASTIC! Instead of gingerbread, they make a cardboard, "house" (thick cardboard and duct taped together) and then used frosting to, "glue" graham crackers to the house and then decorate on top of that with all sorts of candies. It was sooo much easier, and looked great! I just signed my kids up again to do it next wk and we got the last two spots! It fills up fast, b/c it is so fun.

Costco had prebuilt kits (house was assembled you just had to decorate w/ the enclosed icing, etc.) earlier this year for $10 each. We picked up two and did one around Halloween (don't ask, LOL. Kids decided they wanted to do one and reached the consensus they'd work on one together in October and then share the remaining one in December as I was not going to buy a 3rd house at $10 a pop). We've built them before and it is fun, but tough with little ones. I liked the prebuilt model and think it worked out great for the ages of my kids. We'll build our own again in a few years.

[hillview]

I put some mini Thomas trains into our first door. Kids LOVED it and are SUPER excited :)
/hillary

[KathyN115]

OMG, that stupid playmobil advent calendar took me over 35 min to put together!!! I did not realize it would be that time consuming.

:yeahthat: It took a lot longer than I thought. And one of the pieces was missing. Grrrrr.........

[brittone2]

We put a slip of paper in tonight that said we'd go look at some lights (particularly one house in the area that decorates to an insane degree!) and go get hot chocolate at the co-op.

[zoestargrove]

as long as you don't intend on eating your gingerbread house, a hot glue gun works like a dream at getting the sides and roof to stay stuck.

I love the cardboard,graham cracker idea.

[alien_host]

:yeahthat: It took a lot longer than I thought. And one of the pieces was missing. Grrrrr.........

Maybe I have it because I ended up with an extra bird....

Today's slip ended up being "Start the Playmobile Advent calendar". I have the PBK Advent House that I got on sale last year. DD already asked if I could "hide something else" tomorrow morning. I tried explaining that we will do it when daddy gets home from work, not sure that's going to fly in the AM. ;)

Tomorrow I'll have "Take out the Nativity Set" and let her open door #2 from the Playmobile.....which BTW was a huge hit, she loved the tree and birds, wait til she gets to the animals!

[hellokitty]

:yeahthat: It took a lot longer than I thought. And one of the pieces was missing. Grrrrr.........

I'm missing a piece too (I must have wasted 5-10 min double checking everything just to make sure *I* did not misplace it), AND ended up with an extra santa's arm cuff! I'm so annoyed. I have the pirate and knight versions for the next couple of yrs and HOPE that I do not have the same experience. I'm not going to bother calling CS, the piece I'm missing is like a tuft of grass... my kids won't miss it, but it aggravated me that it threw me off.

[hillview]

as long as you don't intend on eating your gingerbread house, a hot glue gun works like a dream at getting the sides and roof to stay stuck.

I love the cardboard,graham cracker idea.
Martha would be so SO proud ;)

I think I need a glue gun!
/hillary