Advent activities 2014

As always, our family counted down the days until Christmas with some advent activities. The kids were good about taking turns opening the door.

 

 (They were not so interested in opening a book each day this year, so we abandoned this mid-December, after many of the books had gone unread).  Advent activities ranged from a fun activity as a family to doing something nice for others.


 Last year, we had received this book called The Sparkle Box.  In it, each family keeps track of the acts of kindness they bestow upon others throughout the year or Christmas season.  These are written down on pieces of paper and put in a "sparkle box."  Then, on Christmas morning, the family opens the box together as a gift for Jesus.  Well, we had great intentions of following this tradition this year.  However, after our "flood" after Thanksgiving, this was the ONE personal item that got ruined.  We still tried to read the water-logged book, but the box was completely ruined.  We attempted to use a different box, but ......   so hopefully we will do better with this next year when we have the real book and box again!  Needless to say, we DID do a lot of nice acts of kindness this season: we packed shoeboxes for children in India, we donated two new toys to Toys for Tots and some crafts for a little girl through Angel Tree, we brought donuts and hot chocolate to the Goddard staff one cold morning, we "candy cane bombed" a parking lot, leaving candy canes and notes of kindness on random cars, we left gifts for our mail carrier and garbage collectors, and we donated money to provide a nice Christmas meal for a need family.

We were amazed to see our North Pole elf, Icicle, was back to keep an eye on us again.  There were quite a few "naughty reports" toward the beginning of the month, but you'll just have to stay tuned to see if Santa did come or not...

A north pole breakfast from Icicle on Dec. 1!

saying goodbye on Christmas Eve

Some of the favorite activities this year were:

munching cookies and drinking hot chocolate under the xmas tree:

going to the North Pole on the Polar Express trolley, where we saw real reindeer (and MAYBE it was Rudolph in the woods!), had Mrs. Claus's hot cocoa and cookies, went on an elf hunt and saw Santa:

 

Allison might be taking after her big sister?  Note that Madelyn is NOWHERE in sight!

 

 

opening our special ornaments (Juliana got Elsa, Connor got Jake):

The candy-cane bombing:

The Festival of Lights at Phillips Park:

Picking out and decorating the Christmas tree:

 Cookie decorating and gift exchange with friends:

The Oswego Christmas Walk (Juliana's choir performed!):

Seeing the Nutcracker (my friend Lily was in it!):

 Making snowman pizza:

And, of course, breakfast with Santa:

 

 Connor always comes for the food:)

A little photo booth fun...

 

 

 Some coloring and letters to Santa...

And then a visit with the big guy himself!

 

 

some gifts from Santa...

 And a rare family photo!