a very Robinson christmas calendar

a very Robinson Christmas calendar

I have a husband that could really do without all of my holiday

festivity and jolliness ... 

...but being born 2 days after Christmas

... and being a huge fan of Jesus

(who you may or may not realize is the reason we

celebrate December 25th),

I think I am required to be in love

with the Spirit of the Holiday! 

So when my husband mentioned that one of the few things he liked about Christmas

growing up (besides doing ministry with his dad like serving meals to the homeless) was an

advent calendar that his mom made (adorned with gift bows concealing holiday events for

many of the days leading up to Christmas), I embraced this idea with more force than was

necessary (as required by my obsessive-compulsive personality) ...and have gradually been

adding to the many opportunities to celebrate this season with my reluctantly-willing

husband and 3 ambitious kids.

Lots of friends have asked me to share my ideas over the year, so I thought,

"why not blog my list?!" 

(...since blogs are apparently "where it's at").

So here goes....THE LIST! 

(with the disclaimer that I have gathered many ideas from additional sources....shout out to all my creative peeps!)

AND MIGHT I ADD, there is no pressure to go overboard (the way I sometimes do).

Create your own traditions, and do it to whatever level

fits your schedule (and sanity).

"GRACE AND PEACE" to those who don't have time for more than 1 or 2 activities for the month.

1. make a Christmas wish list by cutting out items from a magazine

2. candy cane hunt at home (and the story of the meaning behind the candy

cane...google it!)

3. pass out treats at a nursing home

4. decorate a gingerbread house

5. make hand-made gifts for the kids' teachers

6. decorate your tree

(and take time to talk about any special ornaments)

7. "invite a friend to dinner" night

8. bake cookies/cake/anything from scratch

9. attend light up night downtown

10. visit daddy /mommy at work and decorate his/her desk

(...don't forget to pass out treats to all of their co-workers!)

11. dance to Christmas music*

12. Christmas movie night

13. buy a gift to donate

14. buy gloves and a blanket...and deliver to a homeless person/shelter

15. silly Christmas photos**

(make antlers or use some kind of fun props to use with pictures)

16. Christmas craft and deliver to grandma

(example: wreath made of their handprints)

17. read Christmas story from the Bible

18. hot cocoa day

(great chance to set up the hot cocoa bar with ground up candy canes, frozen whipped

cream hearts, etc as seen on pinterest! .....usually paired with dancing to christmas

music*)

19. make ornament for the tree

(and you can even use the silly pics taken on a previous day**)

20. trip to a dollar store to buy gifts

(kids pick out their own presents for grandparents and each other...and a dollar is a

small price to pay to see what random things they pick for everyone! :)

21. gift-wrapping day (let the kids ATTEMPT to wrap gifts)

22. Hang Christmas lights in the kids' bedrooms

23. make reindeer "food" to sprinkle on the snow 

(1/2 c uncooked oatmeal, 1/2 c sugar, and 1/4 c colored sugar crystals or glitter)

24. snowman sensory activity 

(shaving cream and glue mixed together and formed on construction paper)

25. build an actual snowman outside

26. sled riding

27. give the kids a roll of quarters and visit as many salvation army red kettles as is

necessary until they have had the chance to donate all their coins, letting them

decide how many they put in at each one

28. drive around to see Christmas lights

(taking turns picking and singing christmas carols together)

29. attend a church Christmas cantata

30. (my 6 yr old's addition to our list)

stand around the tree holding hands & singing Christmas songs

(in true "Whoville" fashion)

31. Christmas snack night

(popcorn/homemade chocolate covered pretzels/reindeer chow....

usually paired with Christmas movie night)

32. Christmas bath time

(where they are allowed to use as much shaving cream as they want to make

snowmen on the sides of the tub...and then add glow sticks and turn the lights out:)

33. send a card to widows(ers) to remind them that they are not forgotten during the

holiday

34. christmas story time at the library & barnes and nobles

35. hide a piece of the nativity in each room and send the kids on a scavenger hunt to

find them to complete the scene

36. make a  Birthday card for Jesus

(...great time to tell Him, in writing, what His life has meant to you)

37. Christmas caroling at grandma's

38. indoor snowball fight with rolled socks/pillows/soft balls

(this one is my boys' favorite!)

39. deliver groceries to families in need

40. let the kids pick a "gift" from the world vision/compassion international catalogue 

(where you can buy cows or sheep or healthcare or food, etc for a needy fam in another country)

41. make and deliver cookies to the neighbors

42. make "stained glass" candle holders (cover jars in tissue paper squares with a glue/water mixture) and give them as gifts from the kids

43. go to a Christmas orchestra or ballet

44. visit to NYC to see the tree and window displays 

(OR you can always schedule to just watch the broadcast on tv of the lighting of the tree!)

45. ride the mall train

46. bundle up and take a walk in the snow

47. go shovel snow for an elderly neighbor as a family

48. "kids choice" service project (no matter how big or little)

49. guess holiday scents while blind folded (cinnamon, peppermint, pine, etc.)

50. record the kids reenactment/telling of the Christmas story, in their own words (or answering the question, "what does Christmas mean to you?")

51. (attempt) iceskating 

52. make an angel or star tree-topper (using LOTS of glitter) 

53. Christmas scavenger hunt

54. make a pinecone bird feeder 

55. let kids pick which of their toys they'd like to donate

(it's a good way to make room for any new ones)

56. visit a christmas tree farm ....or open air public market  if you live in Rochester, NY

(you may be lucky enough to take a sleigh ride)

57.  visit santa at the mall

58. check out the gingerbread house/christmas village/train holiday displays

(many museums, libraries and community organizations have displays for the holiday)

59. go see a live nativity

60. donate groceries to a local food pantry

61. cut paper snowflakes

62. make a large felt Christmas tree on the wall for kids to decorate and redecorate

63. read Christmas books/verses with the kids every night

("do you see what i see? a devotional seek and find book for advent"

is great for younger kids and has something to read/find each day)

64. (for the girls) decorate fun Christmas nails

(pretty much painting nails Christmas colors and/or designs)

65. Christmas family game night

66. Collect coats for those in need

67. build a blanket fort

(use it for your nightly advent reading, or let the kids pretend its a stable for their

stuffed animals, or set it up in front of the tv for your Christmas family movie night,

or....)

68. schedule a potluck dinner for your friends to all bring a dish to pass

69. each person in the family picks someone to pray for every day during the month

of December

70. surprise visit to the school with snacks for office staff/teachers/classmates

71. serve a meal at a mission or volunteer to sort/deliver food

72. Christmas word search

(you can make your own or use a free printable download from the internet)

73. "I spy: Christmas Edition"

(AKA "The Christmas Tree Game" in the Pearson family...whoever finds the

appropriate ornament on the tree first from the clue given either gets a point or gets to

have the turn giving the next clue)

74. attend a "Breakfast with Santa" event

75. find a friend with a quad or snowmobile...

(shout out to Heather in Pittsburgh, PA!)

76. "Happy Birthday" Party for Jesus

77. Visit Family who lives out of town

(and take a family pic!)

78. Make an ethnic meal to celebrate your heritage and the holiday!

(you can even talk about the traditional "ST Nick" from that specific country)

79. Find a local Holiday Street Festival

(in Rochester, NY that would be Park Ave!)

80. By all means necessary, Let the Kids make Homemade gifts!

81. Attend a local, seasonal sports game...or maybe you're the type to just watch from home!

(basketball, hockey, football) 

82. at some point deep fry a turkey!

83. Pack a box for Operation Christmas Child

(they usually need to be delivered to a drop-off point in November, so you may need to plan an early calendar event!)

84. Visit a local bakery (support the little guy/small businesses!) and let the kids and the hubby pick out any treat they want

85. One word "Fireplace"

(and make sure there are marshmellows and Christmas music involved)

86. Christmas Carole Charades

(it is really funny watching the little kids try to act out some of the Christmas songs!)

87. "Pajama Run" -let the kids get dressed and ready for bed, and then surprise them with a late night outing...in their pajamas!

88. Easy bake

89. Build-a-Bear

90. make your own wrapping paper

(you can get a roll of plain wrapping paper or brown mailing paper from the dollar store and have the kids design their own wrapping)

91. Kids' Library book Christmas Reading

(let the kids pick a holiday book from the library and then have a family story night where they each get a turn reading their pick to the entire family)

92. Hide and Seek Mittens

(hide a bunch of mittens around the house and see how many the kids can find)

93. Christmas Countdown

(make a paper chain with the number of days til Christmas, and let the kids rip one off each morning)

94. deliver a wreath to someone's door anonymously

95. deliver holiday treats to the local firemen

(Christmas season is very busy for them with all the electrical lights and dry trees)

96. Phone Caroling

(I totally made this up! ...you basically have the kids surprise someone with a Facetime/Skype/Phone call where you call and sing a Christmas carol and then hang up)

97. pull out the old Christmas albums/home movies to reminisce about Christmases past

98. Kids' Sparkling Cider (AKA "Spider" in my house) Holiday Toast

(give the kids a fancy glass of something nonalcoholic and bubbly and let them make up their own toasts.... trust me, you will love it but not as much as they do!)

99. Santa hat Day ...and if possible, entire outfits!

(pick a day where everyone has to wear santa hats wherever they go...even if they don't leave them on!)

 100. Have a jar for spare change/donations that you save to donate to a specific organization at the end of the season
(great organizations to consider: Operation Smile, Sonshine Kitchen, medical missionaries)

and after all of that...

101. Get Yourself a Holiday Pedi! (You earned it!)

...So you probably get the gist now and realize that pretty much any intentional activity with your family during the month of December can become a Christmasy activity just by adding the word "Christmas" or "Holiday" in front of it.

(ie: "Christmas brunch," Christmas coloring time," "Christmas laundry folding adventure")

...then you can always throw in a snowman, a manager, or maybe some red & green if you're feeling really wild and crazy.

The point is, December is a chance to look around and see all that we are blessed with and thankful for (initiated by good old Thanksgiving), then celebrate our blessings and conclude a year of experience before beginning a new year with new resolutions. 

Finish Strong! Finish Well!  Tis the season!