by Laura Bray

There’s a new trend for Advent Calendars. Instead of filling your Advent Calendar with chocolates, candy or toys, why not fill it with activities? Make a list of holiday activities you would like to do during the holiday season then write each activity on a slip of paper and place them in your Advent Calendar.  If you don’t have an Advent Calendar, just put them in a jar and let your children pull out a slip each day. Your children will love it and you can rest assured that you will get all the festivities in without trying to rushing around at the last minute.

If you use an Advent Calendar for this project, I recommend keeping a master list of activities and note which day you put each activity in. Then, if you suddenly become too busy to bake cookies on the 15th or if little Suzy gets a cold and shouldn’t go ice skating on the 3rd, you will be able to swap out the activity for something that is more manageable for you. It will also ensure that you have all the supplies you will need for the day’s activities ready to go.

I’ve created a list of ideas for you to download and, and left a few empty spaces just in case you want to add something. Over the next couple weeks, I’ll share some tutorials to help you with some of the following activities:

• Cookie Packaging Ideas
• Making ornaments
• Gift Wrap Ideas
• Making felt stockings

Let the countdown to Christmas begin!