I promised Angela that I'd show my advent calendar, and it's halfway through the month (I'm backdating, natch), but perhaps this will be on time for her 2011 calendar. Ahem.
A year and a few weeks ago, my friend Lynn mentioned the envelope-style advent calendar that she was planning to make for her daughter, and it sounded like an excellent way to celebrate the month of December as well as get a little more organized. I'm always planning to attend things like the Christmas parade or do things like jingle my neighbors and take a tacky lights drive, but December comes and goes and I miss dates or forget that I had intended to do things. I also like the idea of an advent calendar with nifty things inside, but didn't want to do away with the nifty '70s felt tree from Dan's childhood, nor do I feel like we need any extra trinkets or candies. So an activity a day? Perfect. Then I managed not to do it.
But THIS year, ladies and gents, I was organized. Super-organized. 5pm December 1st saw me frantically making a couple of last recycled-paper envelopes, stuffing them with ideas, and hanging them up for the kids to find.
First, make 24 envelopes. I used an envelope template, Elmer's glue, and pages torn from the many holiday catalogs that have been showing up at our door. You might also use small envelopes from a craft store, decorated with the art supplies of your choice, or if you're really ambitious, try sewing a set. Number the envelopes before the next step.
(This also served as a good reminder to hit Catalog Choice again in the new year and stop those puppies from arriving in the first place. Reduce what you can, reuse what you can't reduce, and recycle the rest.)
Next you'll need a list of ideas and some way to put them in the envelopes. You might write them on slips of paper. I had created my list using Google docs, so I put my ideas in a table, printed the table, then cut out each block. Remember to stuff date-sensitive items like parades or special visits in the envelope with the correct # for the date.
Find a length of ribbon, twine, yarn, etc. and hang it wherever you want the envelopes to be and tie, glue, or clip the envelopes to it (I used miniature clothespins, found at a craft store). I hung mine in numerical order. It suddenly occurs to me that it might be fun to mix them up.
I've seen many of them beautifully arranged along mantelpieces. That wouldn't last five minutes in my house, so I strung my ribbon out of reach, in the entryway to our living room.
It's a hit with the 8-year-old; the younger kids aren't particularly interested this year. Don't beat yourself up if you don't end up doing every activity, or don't do them on the days you planned. We've had changes of course due to rain, cranky people, or lack of interest, among other reasons. The idea is for this to be FUN. If nobody thinks it's fun to go for a walk to see neighborhood lights tonight, that's ok. If cookie baking needs to wait until tomorrow, wait! We've set aside our "extra" activities for inspiration during winter break.
Need some ideas to reach 24? Here are some of ours:
:: bake cookies :: deliver packages to neighbors :: get together with friends to make gingerbread houses :: take a tacky lights drive :: family holiday music dance party :: make wintery crafts :: cut paper snowflakes :: check out some holiday books at the library :: go to a holiday show :: shop for presents :: make gifts :: shop for and deliver food for the food bank :: hang out with cousins :: watch the parade of lights :: wrap presents :: go pick a tree :: make s'mores :: decorate the tree :: sit by the fire with cocoa ::
