Advent Activities: Getting Ready

For the past two years (here and here), we've counted down to Christmas with a variety of holiday, or Advent, activities.  At first, I'd put the activities in a jar and we'd pull out the project for the day.  Last year, I happened upon the holidays-socks-on-the-mantle idea to help us count down.  The kids are looking forward to it this year and have been ready to start since we put up the tree--and the Advent Activity socks--on Sunday.  Yep, we started Christmas really early this year, with interior and exterior decorations all in place.  Which is great except it used up some of our usual December Advent Activities!  The list is very similar to last year's list, which is the nature of Christmas, I suppose--tradition.  And it will change as time progresses, based on available time, energy, and  variables like weather.  Which is why I only put one activity in a sock at a time.  That, and the kids peek!

1. Make gingerbread houses
2. Bake sugar cookies
3. Go caroling on the phone
4. Make teacher gifts
5. Deliver treats to doctor/vet/etc
6. Deliver Secret ELF gifts
7. Make thank-you cards
8. Mommy's birthday party
9. Look at holiday lights
10. Send Christmas cards
11. Gifts for others (via church)
12. Donate savings jar to an organization
13. Make glug for Santa Lucia day
14. Leave out shoes for Saint Nicholas day
15. Watch holiday movies 
16. Holiday read-a-thon
17. Write letters to Santa
18. Go see the Nutcracker
19. Make latkes 
20. Stay-up-late Solstice party
21. Wrap presents
22. Snow ice cream
23. Play Christmas bingo
24. Make Christmas candy

"Understudy" activities:   make origami ornaments; have dinner by candlelight; donate food to food pantry; make birdfeeders with pinecones; NYC visit;