One of my most favorite books is The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas by Madeleine L'Engle. It has been a family favorite for many, many years. We read it aloud over several nights and it is a special tradition at our house. In the story, the family does something each day of December to celebrate the coming Baby and His birthday. It can be something small like hanging a wreath to something big like decorating the tree. We try and do something each day and in addition to it just being plain fun, it spreads the lovely season out slowly.
Here are a few suggestions. Of course, you will have your own traditions and activities you use in your family.
Day 1 ~ Put up the Advent Wreath and explain all it represents
Day 2 ~ Make a Jesse Tree
Day 3 ~ Have the kids help make a card list and if they are old enough address some
Day 4 ~ Put up Christmas lights outside
Day 5 ~ Watch one of the Christmas movies or shows. Also, before bed, the kids put out their shoes by the fireplace for St. Nicholas' Feast Day !
Day 6 ~ For Catholics this is St. Nicholas' Day and the kids wake to find treats left in their shoes by the fireplace.
Day 7 ~ Hunt for your Christmas Tree
Day 8 ~ Decorate the tree
Day 9 ~ Make sugar cookie dough and create lovely cut out Christmas cookies
Day 10 ~ Have the children make home made Christmas cards for a local old folks' home
Day 11 ~ Get Christmas coloring books out
Day 12 ~ Make a new tradition of reading a favorite Christmas book aloud in the evening when everyone is home
Day 13 ~ Set up the Nativity Scene
Day 14 ~ Make a Christmas treat like pretzels, peanuts, marshmallows dipped in chocolate
Day 15 ~ Have the kids make snowflakes for the windows. There are a ton of great tutorials online on how to make these beauties out of coffee filters, paper, cupcake cups, etc.
Day 16 ~ Decorate the mantle
Day 17 ~ Have the kids create a red and green paper chain to hang somewhere as decoration or for the tree
Day 18 ~ Make a popcorn garland for either the tree or hanging above a window maybe with cranberries or red beads mixed in for color. We've even put them on a small tree outside for the birds.
Day 19 ~ Make candy houses (I have a very easy method I'll post soon)
Day 20 ~ etc, etc, etc
You get the gist!! Think of all the things you normally do, spread them out over days and days then add some more by looking on line or asking friends for ideas. Ask Grandma and/or Grandpa if there was something special their family did when they were little, adopt that tradition then invite them over for that day to participate. There are so many ideas.
Make it fun, stress free, simple. Each day need not trump the previous days. Simplicity is lovely.
We have had days in December when some sort of medical disaster strikes (like every other month!) but then whoever is home does something very simple. Last year I had 4 mini strokes and was in the hospital for a short time but then I was banned from driving until January!! I thought it was going to be such a nightmare but it was really one of the most wonderful Decembers/Advents I had ever spent because I was home every day and we did such fun things.
If you are a working Mom make it super simple by spreading out the decorating for a week or more. Maybe doing more of the reading aloud or instead of making cookie dough buying it ready made then all that has to be done is roll 'em out and they can use the cookie cutters to their heart's content! Cut out cookies are always a big hit here even with the kids who are grown up!
Last but never least is the spiritual planning for Advent. There are many websites and books with ideas and How To's for the Liturgical Season of Advent. It is a very special time of waiting for the Christ child and realizing we owe all to Him who will come as a baby....simple, pure, wonderful. It's a time for waiting, for penance in a different way than Lent.
In the middle of our Advent wreath we have a little wooden cradle and the children try and fill it up with straw for the coming Babe. A piece of straw (a small piece of yellow yarn) can be placed in the cradle every time they do a good deed, refrain from something naughty, do a secret thing for a sibling, scripture reading, doing without a treat, etc. It's their way of using their sacrifices to line the cradle with soft straw so Baby Jesus can lay in comfort on His birthday. It's awesome to see the amount of straw grow each day as the kids try hard to do good, gain self mastery and avoid doing the sort of automatic sibling mean thing they do without thinking. This causes them to pause and think.
I hope there is an idea or two you can use. If you have any we can adopt, leave a description in the comments box !
~Blessings~
Lisa
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