Well, it's that time of year again. We are getting our Christmas decor up and out. I am not sure why we seem to do it right after Thanksgiving now, other than the kids deciding that it is better to have the Advent Calendar start the weekend of Thanksgiving.
Unlike small, flat advent calendars which one finds at a store, with one little piece of chocolate behind the numbered doors, our advent calendar is designed for a family of seven :-). I begin by finding items to put in it: usually small items such as little craft kits (like what you may find at Oriental Trading), as well as sweets. This year we also added a small box of colored pencils for each child, which I picked up for just a quarter a piece at a sale this summer. I also found some nice little pencil boxes, and erasers. My kids are all into drawing so these things are always in demand!
Next, I grabbed 30 paper lunch sacks (it used to be 25 when we started, as normal people do, on the first of December!), and numbered them 1-30, and set them out, open, on the dining room table.
I filled each one with five items for the day, such as five pencils, five craft kits, or five little chocolates.
Next, I folded down the tops of the bags, and punched two holes in the top:
Next, I put about 8 inches of string into the holes, with the loose string hanging out of the back side. You can also use some nicer ribbon, or anything of that sort. This year things are a little tight ;) so the twine I found on my dh's work bench is going to suffice.
Next, I need a place to hang them. We are blessed with this gorgeous oak staircase in our house...one of the features that made me want the house in the first place (and cause me to totally miss the other problems with it LOL). I think the old farmer who built the house carved some of it by hand! Anyway, we wrap our bannisters with garland, and tie the bags on the bannisters/garlands from 30 at the top, down to 1 at the bottom.
Each day, the kids open one of the bags, counting down for Christmas. Usually we do Christmas-related memory verses from my Advent Devotional too.
6 comments:
Hi Kimberly!
I just purchased your "Baking Bread By Hand" e-book from Biblical Womanhood and am LOVING it! :o) It was great to visit your site and especially to see your blog post about Advent activities - we're preparing them at our house, too. Have a very blessed week!
From The Barefoot Mama to The Joyful Momma!
~ Kelly
HI! Remember me... this is Teena from AR. I was going through my Advent stuff... getting ready you know?? LOL I have three different Advent devotions. Well, one is the Glorious Coming~ Jesse Tree. One is yours.... we did yours in 2005. My Alyssa asked me a few days ago... can we do the Advent with the bags! LOL~
I was looking over it tonight and your devotions are so kid friendly... I mean really easy for all of them. But not too easy.
Just wanted you to know I came by. I am not on AR anymore... you?
Oh guess what Michael married!
you can see my blog at
www.homeschoolblogger.com/teena6
would love to hear from you
blessings,
Teena
Teena, your wedding pictures for your son are just gorgeous. Martin and I recently went to a wedding of a young lady we watched grow up, and he was sobbing like a baby, and I knew what he was thinking...in just a few years we could be the parents of a bride, because this girl is not that much older than Ruth.
Kimberly,
I came over to visit your blog. I am the one that posted about starting a blog to help reach unsaved relatives.
I had to comment on your gorgeous staircase , and I absolutely love your advent idea! The little bags are so very cute.
Do you guys still give presents to your kids? We love to, but I know others aren't so big on that.
~sherry in canada
"I had to comment on your gorgeous staircase ,"
that's what really sold me on the house ;) I've wondered if there was a story behind it myself. Martin thinks maybe the original owner did it himself as it does have so much character and when you really look at it, you can see it was done with regular wood carving tools.
"and I absolutely love your advent idea! The little bags are so very cute."
The kids love it too!
"Do you guys still give presents to your kids? We love to, but I know others aren't so big on that."
Normally, yes. This year it may not be quite so much because of some other things, but God seems to have provided towards that recently (like in the last few hours :-)). Sometimes though the kids like it when we just give them some money and take them shopping after Christ mas where their money goes further.
HI Kimberly! I was searching for Advent ideas for large families, as with eight children this year that is just a lot of chocolate advent calendars :)... This is a cute idea :) - i don't think i could trust some of my little people with bags filled with goodies within reach, but it's giving me ideas :) Thanks! (stephanie in canada from above rubies!)
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