Advent Activity Calendar

Those who know me “in real life” have seen our photos of Advent throughout the Christmas seasons. Our family began keeping an Advent calendar when my daughter was born in 2009. This expanded to keeping the church calendar observance of Advent as well, where we light candles around the wreath, and talk about hope, peace, joy and love.

In our physical advent calendar, we fill each door throughout December with activities that draw us close to one another, usher in the Christmas spirit, or serve our local community.

Over the past decade and change, some things make it in the calendar as family favorites year after year. I thought I’d share some of our activities, in case you are not sure what to put in your Advent Calendar this year or in years to come!

ACTS OF KINDNESS

• Tape quarters to candy/toy dispensers.
• Hide Dollar Bills in the toy section of a dollar store.
• Volunteer to wrap people’s gifts.
• Hide a gift card in a popular book inside a Book Store.
• Donate canned/nonperishables to a local food bank.
• Donate to the Salvation Army (+bring a hot beverage to the Bell Ringer.)
• Buy gifts for children in need through an Angel Tree, Foster Care or Shelter.
• Buy gifts for a single parent/divorcee so he/she has something to open on Christmas morning.
• Visit an elderly home and pass out candy or cards to the residents (+ read them a Christmas story or sing Carols.)
• Volunteer to cook or serve people displaced during the holidays. Talk to them and look them in the eye.
• Deliver treats to community helpers- police, firemen, post office employees, librarians, etc.
• Send someone going through a hard season a gift (+flowers, cookies, etc.)
• Pay for someone’s coffee or meal while using a drive through or restaurant.
• Make a basket for Delivery Drivers with treats and drinks they can snag as they leave packages by your door.
• Decorate your Trash Can with Christmas Bling and leave a gift for your garbage service.
• SOCK Families in your neighborhood: stuff a stocking with holiday treats, cookie making supplies, games, etc. and hang it on their door.
• Put together Christmas Care Packages for military members serving far from home.

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CREATIVE

• Make a Christmas Craft: snow globes, ornaments,
• Draw Holiday scenes
• Make Paper Snowflakes
• Make homemade Christmas cards.
• Write a Christmas poem or short story. Share them with one another.
• Write a letter to Santa!
• Build Christmas LEGOs.
• Make Snowmen out of Playdoh.
• Make a popcorn, cranberry or paper garland for the tree or mantel.

FAITH-BASED ACTIVITIES

• Celebrate St. Nicholas’ Day by putting out shoes the night before, filling them with candies and learning about Nicholas on December 6th.
• Read about the Nativity and set one up in your home.
• Act out the Christmas story based on Luke 2.
• Write a letter to Jesus thanking Him for the past year.
• Make paper crowns and talk about the Wise Men.

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FUN AT HOME

• Decorate the Christmas tree.
• Take a video of each family member singing their favorite Christmas carol.
• Take a fancy bath in candlelight (+ some bath bombs, a glass of sparkly juice, etc.)
• Family Spa Night- manicures, face masks, foot soaks! Whatever you like!
• Take family photos in front of the Christmas tree.
• Stay up late for a Christmas Movie Marathon.
• Listen to Christmas Music (+ make a Family Christmas playlist on Spotify/Apple Music)
• Watch a Christmas movie together by the fire (+ a custom movie-themed menu! Some of our favorites: Elf, Home Alone, A Christmas Story,
• Unwrap 1 present early (it’s always a holiday book in our house.)
• Host friends for a small holiday party (Ugly Christmas Sweaters, Cookie Swap, Christmas Movie Night, Christmas Jammies, Christmas Tea Party, etc.)
• Campout under the Christmas tree.
• Put each family member’s name in a hat. Draw names and write that person a love letter (or draw them a picture for little people) and put it in their stocking to read Christmas morning.
• Google! The possibilities are endless! Learn: Christmas traditions in other countries. Christmas cookies to try. Why are wreaths round and green? Who was St. Nicholas?
• Rock Around the Christmas Tree Dance Party
• Family Game Night: Christmas Minute to Win It games, card games or board games.
• Call/FaceTime/Zoom with far-away family (+ send a package with cookie fixings and bake together!)
• Embrace the cold weather: build a snowman together; make snow angels; make ice wreaths; feed the birds; roast marshmallows outside; take a snowy hike; read a Christmas book under a snow-covered tree.
• OR embrace the warm weather: Make sand angels; take a Christmas Beach Walk; put on Santa hats and pick up litter in your community.
• Plant a peppermint garden. The next morning, Candy Canes sprout!
• Put together goodie bags for classmates.

IN THE KITCHEN

• Make pancakes for dinner (+ whipped cream to make Santa beards on everyone’s faces!)
• Decorate Gingerbread houses or people (+make your own gingerbread, buy fancy candy, etc.)
• Bake Christmas Cookies (+a family favorite or Sugar Cookies that you can ice/decorate altogether)
• Make a Spaghetti Dinner, then have everyone eat with a silly utensil (whisks, spatulas, etc.)
• Make an extra Casserole to deliver to another family during the bustle of the season.
• 1st (or 2nd, 3rd, 4th) “Sundae” of Advent- have Ice Cream Sundaes for dinner with lots of toppings.
• Eat dinner: by Candlelight, picnicking by the Christmas tree, get dressed up
• Put together a menu where all the food is red & green.
• Make reindeer feed.
• Share a holiday drink: Eggnog, Mulled Cider, Wassail, homemade Hot Cocoa with warm milk, chunks of fresh chocolate and toppings (+or get hot cocoa bombs!)

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OUTINGS

• See a Live Nativity.
• Go choose a Christmas Tree at a local Farm or through a community-based organization to support your local businesses.
• Catch some Christmas Fireworks.
• Go to a Tree Lighting Ceremony.
• Take a Christmas Lights Drive (+pickup dinner on the drive- we always get pizza! I also pack cookies, popcorn and cocoa.)
• Go Christmas Shopping.
• See a Christmas concert.
• Take a horse-drawn carriage ride.
• Go ice skating.
• Take a Christmas vacation!
• See a movie at the local Movie Theatre.

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