I started this tradition when Olivia was born, but it just started taking off last year, they just started to get the hang of it, and I can already tell this year is going to be the best yet. So the gist is that I use our Countdown Calendar to count down the days of December, leading up to Christmas, some days its a simple candy cane or piece of candy, some days its a special experience, like Christmas Lights Tour with Cookies and other days its a small present. Some days the girls each get a present, and other days they share a single present (which is always interesting). The presents are numbered for the day in which they will get to open them. Based on what I find and put together sometimes there are several candy & IOU/Event days and some years there are only a few. Right now the girls are so young, their presents are so inexpensive that I am able to do some days for $1.00, while others are closer to $10 a day. So for now, while they are small and the Target Dollar Section can still deliver the goods, they will likely have more presents than candy, but I foresee many days of candy as they get older. I just love the tradition of it.
Countdown Calendar (I know its missing a 7)
Gift Ideas:
Books - I tend to find a few new Christmas Books every single year that I want the girls to have on their bookshelves, so I snag those up and keep them toward the beginning of the month so we can enjoy them all month long. Check out B&N right after Christmas, their book selection is always super discounted!!
DVD's - great movies for us to watch as a family, either Christmas movies or just good family movies. This year my Mom contributed a few Christmas Movies that are going to be bumped up in the numbers so we can watch one next Friday for Family Movie Night.
Ornaments - I stocked up at Hallmark last year after Christmas and snagged several for $3.00 each and of course you can get great deals at Michael's for super cheap too - this one will always be a great idea, even as they get older, so they can start to build their own ornament collection (they will leave the nest one day - sniff sniff)
Candy Cane marks the day we are on...sometimes we use an elf ornament.
Experience - this is a new one, I just started adding this one in last year. A few ideas for this one, you write down the experience on a cute printable (found on Pinterest) and stick it in the day. We always do Christmas Light Tour on December 23rd, with cookies, hot chocolate and Christmas Music in the car. I may take the girls to have their nails painted this year. I can imagine as they get older, a special mother-daughter lunch would be a good idea, the options are endless for this one.
$1.00 Target Dollar Section
Craft - Today was December 1st, so the first day and they each opened a craft countdown calendar, one was a snowman and the other Santa, found in the Target Dollar Section (thanks for the idea Molly), and every night they will add a snowball to their craft to countdown the days until Christmas. Sometimes we just do a craft I have already purchased (Oriental Trading, remember?)
I get simply giddy over Christmas Traditions. I have even started documenting them in a book, God forbid I kick it before the girls are grown, I don't want them to miss out on a single thing, so its a playbook for Brad. Morbid I know, but its important!
I can't wait to share more Christmas Traditions with y'all as the month goes on.
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