Christmas Bucket List

A few years ago, a dear friend and co-worker, Sandy F., told me how she would sit down with her calendar over Thanksgiving break and write a family activity on each date. Then she would cover each square (with foil I think) and each day one of her four children would uncover that day's activity with great anticipation.

She inspired me to make a similar list and I have added to it each year. I am in the process of adding recipes to this list as well as pictures of each of the crafts. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to elaborate. Please share your family traditions.

1. Bake cookies: Candy Cane Twists, Holiday Wreaths, Meringue Snowflakes, Red and Green Holiday Pinwheels, Stained Glass Cookies, Raspberry Poinsettia Blossoms, Reindeer Cookies , Jingle Bell Cookie Pizza
2. Go to Santa’s Wonderland December 23rd or before (you don’t know how weather will be)
3. Visit Nursing Home-caroling
4. Take treats to priest/doctors
5. Go to a Movie
6. St. Nicholas Day-read story about St. Nicholas and watch Veggie Tales
7. Games Night
8. Puzzle Night
9. Christmas Parade (1st weekend)
10. Make Gingerbread house/cookies
11. Make Jesus’ birthday cake
12. Make a clay dough ornament with cookie cutters.
13. Make choc dipped reindeer pretzels14. Make countdown chain
15. Make & decorate Advent cookie bouquet
16. Movie night- (Charlie Brown, It’s a Wonderful Life, Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34th Street, Polar Express, A Christmas Story, Elf, etc....) with hot chocolate, Wassail, or hot cider.
17. 24th read story of Christmas-Luke
18. Make reindeer food
19. Bake candy cane twist cookies & read legend of candy cane
20. Make Advent wreath beads/bracelet
21. Ice Skating
22. Crafts with popsicle sticks (See Oriental trading.com for ideas)
23. Make reindeer Krispie Treats, Santa Claus Krispie Treats, or “holiday” Krispie Treats ,
24. Shop in Calvert?
25. Christmas in the Park26. Legend of the Christmas Tree
27. Make S’Mores
28. Gatti Town
29. Horseshoe Junction (go carts, mini golf, etc… in Brenham)
30. Elf on the Shelf ($30 @ Hallmark)
31. Paper plate crafts (see Oriental Trading’s website) . Gingerbread plate.
32. Tissue paper crafts (candy cane, wreath, tree, stocking)
33. “Stained glass” crafts (on transparency or laminating film). Print one of the coloring pages. Place a clear transparency page or laminating film on top. Tape them well. Let the kids color with Sharpies. Saran Wrap works, too. Hang the finished product in the window, or place on top of foil and cover a paper plate for a different look.
34. You and your kids enter a baking contest (College Station’s @ Christmas in the Park)
35. Ice Sculpting (click here).
36. Make an Advent Activity Chain. Here is one I found online. It is not the same as Lauren brought home from church. Here is another one. Here is the Nativity Story on a chain.
37. Santa pom-pom countdown to Christmas.
38. Let your child(ren) pick from the giving tree at church (or Salvation Army tree at the mall) and buy a gift for the less fortunate.
39. (Do this Thanksgiving weekend)- Wrap all your Christmas storybooks and let the kids take turns opening one each night. That's the bedtime story! Thanks, Jennie F!
40. (Again, print this Thanksgiving weekend)-Print this Santa Advent countdown on cardstock. make sure you have plenty of cotton!
41. Here is the link to the Advent Chain my daughter brought home from Religous Education this year. The teacher copied the links on purple and pink to correspond with the candles. Lauren ABSOLUTELY loved doing this and got upset if she couldn't do each one right away!
42. Handprint crafts: Help the kids paint their hands green and paint into a wreath, Santa, reindeer, Poinsettia, or Christmas tree pattern.

43. Make these adorable Melted Snowman Oreo Cookies by Idea Room Blog. Scroll down below the "pops".
44. Make homemade Candy Cane Marshmallows.
45. Make Mint Thins
46. Pringles can Nutcracker, Santa, Elf, or many others.
47. Print these Nativity stick puppets and recreate the Nativity Story.

48. Bake cookies and send to troops overseas.

49. Make these "Pretty Plastic Light Catchers."
50. Make these Advent Boxes. There is a box for each day in the month of December (up to Christmas Day). Each box holds a small item and a scripture (or Biblical principal) to go along with each day.

51. Make this Advent mantle display from Shower of Roses.

Here are posts from previous years. I hope to consolidate the lists soon.