Advent Calendar

We always do an advent calendar with the kids. In Canada, we have a Christmas tree with little drawers that we fill with chocolates each year. When you open a drawer, you turn it around before putting it back in, gradually turning your Christmas tree into a Christmas scene.

This year, we are going to do Christmas envelopes as our advent calendar. Our friend Tricia has done this before, I will have to look back on her blog for some ideas. You make a garland with 24 little envelopes, each day you open an envelope, and there is a fun family activity described for the day.

As we are going to be waking up in 4 different locations over the course of the advent calendar, we are going to use a single envelope rather than a garland. I will pop a new activity card inside each night. Depending how busy we are, the activities may get a little lame from time to time, e.g. sleep on air mattresses, stay in a hotel, fly to Canada, but we'll do our best.

Here are some of our ideas:

• Write a letter to Santa
• Make Christmas Cards
• Make sugar cookies
• Decorate sugar cookies
• Go for a walk in the dark with headlamps
• Visit Benjamin Tree farm and cut down a Christmas tree
• Decorate Christmas tree
• Have a games night
• Have a movie night with popcorn
• Go out for dinner
• Go to see Christmas lights (we may do this twice - downtown Bordeaux and around KW)
• Take fun family photos
• Have a lego building competition
• Make mince pies for Santa (and mum, mostly mum)
• Make a snowman and/or snowfort
• Have a snowball fight
• Take the tram across the river
• Go ice skating at Pey Berland
• Go sledding
• Have a photo slideshow
• Have a family game of rugby
• Do a Christmas craft

Can you believe it's the first of December tomorrow?