Are you doing an advent calendar?

You know it's time to start preparing for Christmas when all the Christmas stuff comes out in the stores.  Last year, I bought an advent calendar on sale after the holidays (SCORE!).  This year, I'm going to try to fill it with activities for the family to do each day leading up to the holidays.  I read from a few other blogs that the best way to do this is to pre-write the activity but don't put them in until a day or a couple of days in advance so you have control over what you do each day depending on your schedule.  I think this is a good idea but i have to remember to sneak in the activity everyday which may be a problem for me.  So I think a hybrid idea is to slot in something that is totally manageable everyday and when we have time to do something more time consuming (like bake cookies), then I'll sneak it in that day.

Here are some of my 'everyday' activities:

1. Read the Christmas story from Luke
2. Sing a Christmas carol together
3. Give everybody a hug and a kiss
4. Listen to Christmas music during dinner
5. Call someone and sing them a carol
6. Dress up for dinner
7. Thank God for Jesus
8. Hide something special in each other's beds
9. Make paper snowflakes
10. Do something kind for a family member
11. Take turns telling the Christmas story
12. Draw a Christmas picture for a family member
13. Tell each other what is your favourite thing about Christmas
14. Pray for a friend
15. Read the Christmas story from Matthew
16. Pop some popcorn
17. Make an ice cream cookie sandwich

Some of the more time consuming activities:

1. Set up the tree
2. Bake cookies for family and friends
3. Write Christmas cards
4. Write a family Christmas letter
5. Play a family board/card game
6. Watch a Christmas movie
7. Take a drive to see Christmas lights
8. Take some family Christmas pictures
9. Make a card for your teacher
10. Decorate a gingerbread house
11. Go to the Santa Claus Parade
12. Make ice cream
13. Borrow a Christmas book from the library
14. Make a list of things we are thankful for and post it up

Hope this works out!

Any other ideas for me?