25 Days to Remember

This is our family's Christmas countdown calendar!  

And it's full of fun family activities that I thought I would share. 

The kids excitedly open the corresponding card each morning... it's the first thing they do when they crawl out of bed.
This is what each of our cards say:

1- Make a chain to count down the days until Jesus birth

2- Fancy Dress Dinner: Choose your own fancy attire for a fun family dinner

3- Make Christmas Cookies (make extra)

4- Package and take cookies to the neighbors

5-Make snowflakes to decorate the windows

6- Sing and Dance to Christmas music... you choose the tunes

7- Write 10 things you are thankful for and post it where everyone can see

8- Candlelight Bubble Bath

9- Read "Let it Snow" and play with snow inside! (snow=shaving cream)

10- Go to Pop and DeDe's to help them with a chore

11- Shop for our Angel Tree family

12- Make Christmas Cards for 3 friends

13- Play musical chairs to Christmas music

14- Do something kind for someone today

15- Go out to dinner and go visit Santa (this is Emery's birthday so it will be a fun night out for us)

16- Have popcorn and play a board game

17- Make edible gifts for the birds and squirrels to hang from the trees in the backyard

18- Have hot chocolate and read a Christmas story by the fire

19- Watch a movie from the tent in the living room

20- Go look at lights! (and get a special Christmas drink)

21- Use your money from December chores to go buy Christmas gifts for your family

22- Go out to breakfast! (I was planning to do breakfast in bed, but our friend, P, comes to clean that day so we will be going out instead)

23- Wrap and decorate your Christmas gifts (this year we are wrapping all gifts in brown craft paper/paper bags and the kids get to decorate them)

24-Birthday party for Jesus! Make special treats to take to your family. We will be making these.

25- Spend time as a family thanking God for the greatest gift, his son!

And that is what we, the Ingram Gang, will be doing in the days leading up to Christmas Day.

Of course this is created around our schedule.  Brad and I have several parties this month, so on those days... the less time consuming activities.  I put most outings on the weekends so that we can block time for them.  The actives are basically the same, but the nights have changed from what we did last year. 

For me, I made a run to Dollar Tree earlier in the week and purchased the following:

-shaving cream

-construction paper

-bubble bath

-pretzels

I had everything else on hand

This is just a great way for us to ensure special family time (during a season that has the potential to be overly busy) as we talk to our children and help them prepare for the coming birth, advent... if you will.  

This week our family verse is Luke 3:4 "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight"

And that is what we plan to do:  

remember the gift that brought grace and mercy packaged in flesh.

Sharing laughs and conversation with my family is just one of the ways I can live in a state of remembrance.

I have also planned out Advent activities for the 12 days leading up to Christmas that I can share if anyone is interested.  This will be our first season to do an Advent tree and evening devotions.  Brad and I agreed on 12 in the days right before Christmas Day because of the age and attention span of our children.  Maybe someday soon, we will use the entire Advent season.  

Happy Month of Preparing the Way!