Countdown to Christmas - RERUN

Re-running a post from last December... this one consistently gets hits year-round on Sprik Space, and with the holidays fast approaching, I thought it might be fun to dust it off and revisit a few old ideas...

PREVIOUSLY POSTED:  December 1, 2008

Lately, I've been a little obsessed with Holiday Advent Calendars.

I recently spotted this crafty and clever idea for Advent Boxes on {A}, and I think I could pull it off, too. See her tutorial here and here. I don't think I would be as brave as she was in pinning them to a wall (too much spackling afterwards!), but I can definitely envision them on an embellished corkboard.

Or, there's even the Stocking Garland Advent Calendar idea, as illustrated by Martha here. Fellow blogger, Dandee, pulled it off with great finesse as seen on this post.

I also adore the Advent Calendar Pockets that Jenny of Allsorts created and described here. No sewing machine necessary... that's my kind of project!

Wondering what you'd put in your advent calendar (besides treats, of course) if your family had one, too? Send me your e-mail - I have a couple of lists of ideas, activities, and scriptures to fill them with.

Having an advent calendar is one of the many family holiday traditions I'm planning for in a few years.

One tradition I've already begun collecting for is a Christmas Book A Day. The idea is to collect various holiday storybooks to read as a family for each of the days before Christmas. The Flowering Dogwood suggested here to individually wrap them, to make them even more fun.

Another tradition I'm gearing up for is the Christmas Elf. The idea is to invite an elf into your home prior to Christmas, for him to keep an eye on well-behaving children for Santa. The elf might leave surprises for the family, and each day the children will find him in the morning after his evening adventures. My mom introduced this idea to her fellow church ladies last year, and I've been collecting more information I'll want to use as part of our family's tradition. See more details online here and here. I picked up the perfect Christmas Elf at Tai Pan Trading while I was in Utah, and he's just waiting for a little one to interact with.

Brian and I have already been talking about how fun and more meaningful the Christmas season will be when we have a little family of our own. We can't wait!

Since I'm collecting ideas, do you have fun family holiday traditions you want to share? Tell me! Tell me!