advent calendar

I've been wanting to do a fun advent calendar since I read the blog of equally-amazing mom and photographer, Tara Whitney last year. An elf named Bernard visits her house.   Her ideas are clever and fun, and I especially love the snow man poop!  Borrowing that idea for sure, along with some others.

                                                                                                                            Photos by Tara Whitney

I keep thinking there are only two days left to make an advent calendar, but really I can make five at a time instead of 25 at once, and realization is a lot less daunting to me. I love the idea of having cute packages hanging from the mantle all month long, but the truth is December is a crazy-busy month, and the activities really have to be tailored to each day's schedule for us.  So I'm going with one hanging from the mantle each morning.  Something to open and read and look forward to after school.  Between that and moving the elf on the shelf every day, it's all I can handle.
Love this idea of craft paper packages sewn up with string found on Pinterest, via Smile and Wave, originally posted on Peppermint Plum.  Click on the photo below for a quick how-to.

A few ideas:
christmas parade with your BF, Penny!
watch Elf with a big bowl of salty popcorn

walk around naples island and look at the lights
visit el segundo's candy cane lane
go to starbucks for peppermint hot chocolate
belmont shore christmas parade
read the night before christmas
decorate cookies
make gifts for your teachers
make tissue paper snowflakes
deliver christmas cards to neighbors
have breakfast for dinner and eat in your pajamas
go caroling
watch a charley brown christmas
cuddle under a blankie and talk about your favorite christmas memories
write a letter to santa
game night with mom and dad
donate some toys to charity
make some ornaments for the tree
go see the nutcracker
dress up fancy for dinner
snowman poop for breakfast!  (powdered sugar doughnut holes)

visit the rancho

take an unwrapped toy to knott's berry farm

Does your family do an advent calendar?  I'd love to hear about it. 

Here's to counting down December!