Countdown to Christmas

For the last few years I've gotten the kids Advent calendars with a piece of chocolate for each day.  That was fun, but then last year I started seeing other people's Advent activities and how they put the emphasis on doing things for others.  So this year I put together a list of activities to do every day in December leading up to Christmas.  Some of them are fun, family activities, and others are ones where the kids get to serve or help others.  I am so excited about this!  I really want our kids to have fun with the giving part of Christmas!  I'm praying this will be a fun, humbling experience for all of us.  Below is our Advent activities list (in no particular order), most of which were taken from other blogs and friends.  And don't worry, there will be a piece of chocolate each day for the kids also!

1. Watch a Christmas movie
2. Get a new Christmas book
3. Buy our favorite nonperishable foods and donate to food pantry
4. Make Christmas favors for Allie's class
5. Mail our Christmas cards
6. Go to our city's Christmas tree lighting - hand out a McDonald's gift card to someone there
7. Bring hot cocoa to a Salvation Army bell ringer
8. Friends' Christmas party - take them a new Christmas book
9. Pick out our Christmas tree
10. Bake and deliver cookies for neighbors
11. Draw or color Christmas pictures for Daddy's office
12. Get a pretzel at the mall, then tape quarters to the ride machines
13. Look at Christmas lights
14. Get donuts for breakfast - take some to the boys' teachers
15. Make pine cone bird feeders
16. Visit a nursing home and take cards and treats
17. Take presents to Sunday School teachers
18. Give a treat to our mailman
19. Take baked goods to our firestation
20. Drive through Chick-Fil-A and pay for the person behind us
21. Make snow globes - give one to a neighbor
22. Decorate a gingerbread house (actually, I bought a train)
23. Deliver presents to our Giving Tree family (through our radio station)
24. Give treats to our garbage collectors

Brian came up with the idea to hang it from the kitchen curtains.  Perfect!

Activities are listed on the back of the stockings

Here are a few other decorations around the house:

I couldn't have found a cuter stocking hanger!