Preparation

Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent and this year I'd like to keep an Advent Calendar with daily activities for the kids. I think the girls are old enough to be able to participate and also find meaning in the daily activities.

Two years ago I made stockings for our Advent Calendar but they weren't very interested in much more than hanging a new stocking every day until Christmas day and I wasn't well-prepared with activities either. This year, my hope is to keep our activities simple but meaningful. The activities will be a way of helping us to patiently wait for the coming of Jesus. (The stockings I made are pictured above and you can see that I stuck to the traditional Advent colors, purple and pink. The white stocking represents the light of Jesus.)

ACTIVITIES
•each Sunday of Advent will have an extra special activity:
-write a special note to a family member or friend to let them know how much we love them then mail it
-take a meal or baked goods to an elderly neighbor
-purchase a gift for the giving tree at church
-purchase and deliver food to the food bank at church

•special activity on special feast days:
-November 30th - First day of Advent, set up the Nativity Scene without Baby Jesus (and do one of the "Sunday" activities too)
-December 6th - St. Nicholas, learn about St. Nicholas and give an anonymous gift to someone who needs it
-December 8th - Immaculate Conception, attend Mass as a family
-December 9th - Juan Diego, read our book about Juan Diego and the Virgen of Guadalupe
-December 12th - Our Lady of Guadalupe, attend Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe church and give somebody some roses in honor of the Virgen Mary

•general activities:
-go on a nature walk
-read a special story
-call Great Gma
-visit Gpa during the week
-make a present (drawing, craft, letter) for one of Gpa's friends at the nursing home
-work on an art project (using plaster of paris because Mom bought a box a long time ago and it has never been used)
-get a coupon to "stay up late"
-take pictures of things that make you smile
-bake sugar cookies using gma's cookie cutters
-learn to play tic-tac-toe
-make a name poem (using the letter of your first name)
-get a candy and give a candy to someone outside of the family

•"reusable" activities (just in case I haven't planned ahead or for the very possible "extra" days in Advent):
-say something nice to someone
-do something nice for someone
-say a prayer for a person in need
-your choice

Special activity on Christmas Eve - allow the children to place Baby Jesus in the manger.