25 Days of Christmas for 2011

Here are our plans for this year. One special activity for every day!! I will post pics of the "calendar" I made as well as our names of God tree on the "Day 1" post :)
I am so giddy about Christmas this year...I probably am every year, but it seems to just get more fun, I come up with new, exciting ideas, and the kids understand more and more as they get older.

1. Begin our 25 names of God tree

2. Play at the mall and take family Christmas picture (There are various spots I hope to get pics of the boys individually or together...it sounds like a good idea in theory. We shall see!)

3. Read true story of St. Nicholas and go to Bass Pro shop for pictures with Santa (We operate under the idea that we might as well tell our children who that guy we see everywhere at Christmas time is representing!!! It also makes for a fun tradition, and it's fun to set out pics from years past to see how everyone has grown.)

4. Read Luke 2:1-20; Make Graham Cracker manger scenes (We don't make fancy Ginger Bread houses, we usually make what we affectionately call "graham cracker shacks." This year, I thought it would be fun to use animal crackers and characters from our nativity set to make while we listen to Daddy read the story in the Bible.)

5. Make Christmas snack mix to gift to various childcare workers and teachers who so selflessly care for our children all year.

6. Make pine cone bird feeders (you know, the peanut butter ones that are oh-so-messy)

7. Ice Cream Party with Christmas colored sprinkles, etc. Read Luke 2:1-20 while we're eating. (You'll see us reading this a few more times this month...)

8. Make Christmas placemats (various art made by the kids, stickers, etc. either laminated or covered with contact paper. Very simple and cheap, and the kids love eating on them.)

9. Take dinner to Daddy's office and go see Christmas lights in nearby neighborhood

10. Shop for gifts for siblings, parents, friends, etc.

11. Make ornaments (salt dough and bees' wax are our favorite)

12. Watch a Christmas movie while we drink hot chocolate with candy canes to stir in marshmallows! (usually a Veggie Tales or Hermie movie)

13. Kids' Christmas Program at Titus and Eli's school

14. "Snow ball" fight with socks (This is a new idea for us this year. I think our boys are going to LOVE this.)

15. Red and Green Lunch (strawberries, green grapes, mini pepperonis, red/green jell-o, red tortilla chips, etc. served on Christmas red/green plates, along with red or green juice)

16. Camp out by Christmas tree; read Luke 2:1-20 before we go to sleep

17. Make and deliver gifts to neighbors (bread, puppy chow, chex mix, etc.)

18. Church Christmas program

19. Snowman pancakes for dinner (Make 3 sizes of pancakes, put together and place chocolate chips, blueberries, etc. on for buttons and face, top with powdered sugar "snow")

20. Go see house lights show set to music (We usually find out about these through local newspaper articles or on the news or friends/family who hear about them)

21. Local church's Walk-Thru nativity

22. Make Christmas cookies with cousins (a tradition from when I was a child)

23. Kids get to open their new Christmas pajamas and wear to bed tonight and tomorrow night

24. Christmas Eve service at church; Read Luke 2:1-20 before bed

25. Scavenger Hunt for baby Jesus (Who has been missing from the nativity set all month), Make a cake and sing "Happy Birthday to Jesus"

I have a few extra ideas in my back pocket, and if we end up doing any of those, I will be sure to post them :)