Advent Activity Calendar

When my son was three, a local literacy organization threw a hands-on Christmas celebration for families. There were many things to make: holiday cards, finger puppets for seasonal chants and an advent activity calendar. My husband made this advent calendar, and it has become one of my favourite holiday traditions.

Behind each door is a suggestion for what to do that day. For example:

Build a snowman.

Write a card.

Put out food for the birds.

Make a paper chain to decorate the house.

Read a holiday book.

Go tobogganing.

Do something kind for someone....

A calendar like this seems to make the holidays more about experience and less about consumption. While I've never actually been able to find a template for our activity calendar, it would be just as easy to make your own using these ideas and templates:

Maya*Made Countdown Calendar 2009

Made with recycled materials. Activities can be printed on slips of paper and tucked into each pocket.

Maya*Made Countdown Caldendar 2010

Made with recycled materials.

Advent Calendar Templates

Lots of DIY options, here.

The Story Tree

After I set up a living space of my own, I decided that I wouldn't invest in Christmas ornaments for our first Christmas tree. I thought it might be nice to ask for an ornament for gift-giving occasions and leave our tree adornments to chance. Our first Christmas tree was a pitiful, Charlie Brown-like Norfolk Island pine (plant) in a plastic pot with three ornaments hanging from its branches. But each ornament was special -- each had its own story. Sixteen years later, my tree is full of ornaments and stories. I have ornaments from Africa, Saudi Arabia and Nunuvut -- from dear friends who remembered me on their travels. I have a miniature porcelain teacup and saucer to commemorate girlhood tea parties with my Dad. I have a paper angel with a stubby foot made by my then five-year-old son. And each year, on December 1st (or thereabouts), my son will say, "Tell me the stories, Mom."