Wednesday 30 November 2016

Advent Activity Calendar

The year rushes by and it's already time for Advent.  I celebrate Christmas from a mid Winter festival perspective rather than a religious time of year and I enjoy a count down like many others so our advent calendars have just come out of the cupboard.  My daughter has a mini stocking calendar that I made her back in the baby years and enjoys a chocolate each day and for a family activity, we have a pocket calendar made from one of Karen Lewis' printed kits from a few years back (spot the wrongly placed number!) and we fill this with activities on scraps of paper.


We have a mix of things and some get changed each year depending on their success.  Last night we sat at our kitchen table and planned it around three different work schedules and commitments whilst listening to Christmas music. Here are some ideas if you want to do the same.  A quick Google will give you lots of other ideas varying from those suitable for young children, a traditional religious focus, charitable ideas and many more:
  • Coffee and Christmas snacks at a local cafe
  • Takeaway night
  • Christmas playlists- we each choose a different theme, mellow, Motown, classic, alternative
  • Baking Christmas cake- mine is a last minute recipe
  • Board game evening
  • Films- we pick a few DVDs from charity shops of films we haven't seen or favourites from the past.  A Charlie Brown Christmas always gets a viewing
  • Youtube Christmas songs/carols from different countries and in different languages
  • Watch Elf and decorate tree
  • Find out and share Christmas traditions from a different country
  • Hot chocolate night, maybe with new recipes- I like this one
  • Haiku
  • Christmas jokes
It always makes December extra special, some of the activities become so silly (often charades or anything that involves singing or reading out loud) that the memories become part of the family cannon.  If you have any new or unusual ideas for activities, please share below, it's always good to try something new!
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7 comments:

  1. Such a sweet idea! Sounds perfect for making fun family memories

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    1. It's worth making the effort on. This time of year always gets ridiculously busy but we always end up enjoying the tasks and treats more than we imagine after a long day.

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  2. Lovely idea! We do a pass the parcel with an item of clothing/accessory in each layer. All from charity shops and the more outrageous the better. I always get the leopard print kaftan!

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  3. My favourite Christmas time book is 'The Box of Delights' and I always like to read extracts from it as my girls, now more or less grown up, love it too. We also always watch at least some of the TV adaptation on dvd. Its dated in its sfx but is a great faithful adaptation and great seasonal fun. I'd be interested in hearing what's on your Christmas music playlists, esp mellow and classic! We also love baking and this will get into full swing when our 2 eldest are home from uni on the 10th.

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    1. I vaguely remember Box of Delight on TV, I'll have to look into the book. I'll be sure to share my Christmas playlist, it's coming up v soon on our calendar! I bet you can't wait for your eldest to be home.

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