WAH Wednesday: Christmas Family Memories

Last Monday I talked to you about my pre-planning.  Well it is in full swing!

Last year I shared this list with you and I am bringing it back today. This is more of a list than anything else.  This list is meant to help you spur some ideas for creating more memories with your family.

We do two advent calendars.  First is our Christmas Book Countdown.  I wrap one book for each night leading up to Christmas. We start our advent calendars the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  This year I will be wrapping 26 books.   Yes, I have over 30 Christmas books.  I found the majority of the at a thrift store for $0.29 each.  I will be pick up a few new ones each year because some have been so loved they need to be replaced.  Others are just too long for right now.  I will find them at crazy times of the year and I will buy them.  I bought 4 Mother's Day weekend in Wisconsin.

The other is an activity that we do each day, like visit Santa, or Christmas Go Go Day (watching and dancing to ALL of our Wiggles Christmas DVDs).  This year we will also be doing our preschool activities.

We don't do all of these things, but this is a great list for you to get a jump start.

Serve others

1. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
2. Collect blankets and give them to a homeless shelter. (Need to turn it up a notch - have a blanket making party.)
3. Clean out your closets and donate to local agencies.
4. Fill a box of formerly loved toys and donate to local agencies. (We must do this every year because of Christmas and birthdays being so close.)
5. Bake cookies and deliver them to a local retirement home.
6. Plan a “playdate” and let the other mom’s get some kid free time for shopping, wrapping or de-stressing.
7. Purchase gifts from an Angel Tree.  (Gifts for needy children)
8. Fill stockings and donate them to local agencies.
9. Make a meal and deliver it to a needy family.
10. Bake cookies and give them to people who have to work on Christmas Eve.
11. Make edible gifts for the birds and squirrels.

Random Acts of Kindness

1. Feed the meters.  Hang a Christmas card on the meter.
2. Tape quarters to the toy machines at the grocery store.
3. Give out gift cards to the local coffee shop in the mall.
4. Go to a holiday display and offer to take pictures for families.  (You know Mom is never in the pictures!)
5. Hand out Christmas cards to random people.
6. Give rolls of wrapping paper and tape to your neighbors.
7. Offer to load a full cart of groceries or packages into their car for them.
8. Make extra dinner and invite the neighbors over, or deliver.
9. Give out flowers to people while shopping.
10. Hide dollar bills in the toy aisle of the dollar store.
11. Fill stockings or old shoes with treats, go to a different neighborhood and leave them on doorsteps.
12. Make ornaments and hand them out with candy canes.

Family Activity Ideas

1. Go look at Christmas displays.
2. Family Pajama Movie Night - be sure to make it complete with Hot Cocoa.
3. Go to your local Christmas Tree lighting celebration.
4. Christmas Carol Bath - Listen to your favorite Christmas Carols while taking a bath, complete the mood by hanging twinkle lights.
5. Fancy Dress Dinner.
6. Write a Christmas story.
7. Dessert first dinner.
8. Pajama Breakfast Dinner.
9. Decorate a gingerbread house.
10. Go to a live nativity.
11. Go to a Christmas parade.
12. Write and send Christmas cards.
13. Decorate every door in your house.
14. Write a family letter to Santa.  
15. Get a letter from Santa.
16. Hot chocolate and popcorn for a snack.
17. Christmas Dance Party!
18. Christmas Treasure Hunt
19. Ornament Decorating
20. Decorate Stockings
21. Make a gingerbread house
22. Decorate sugar cookies with icing
23. Use cookie cutters to make a fun lunch
24. Make a Christmas gift for a member of the family.

Christmas Crafts

1. Cotton Santa Beard
2. Paper Chain Garland
3. Make Christmas Cards for Friends and Family
4. Hand and Foot Angels
5. Create an outdoor Christmas scene and use shaving cream for snow.
6. Cone Christmas Trees
7. Decorate Paper Cookies
8. Beaded Candy Cane Ornaments
9. Paper Plate Wreathes
10. Shape Reindeer (only using circles, triangles and rectangles)
11. “Stained Glass” Ornament Sun Catchers
12. Create Christmas scenes and use glitter for snow.
13. Make your own gift tags

Fill you Advent Calendar with:

1. Christmas Jokes
2. Christmas Books
3. Christmas Quotes
4. Christmas Scripture
5. Christmas Coloring Pages
6. Christmas Crafts