This years advent activities went off beautifully! Many of them were tons of fun and we started some new traditions that I am excited about as well. The kids had a blast getting to open the card for each day and finding out what kind of adventure we were going on. My favorite thing about doing the advent activities is the memories we get to make as a family. All those incredible, collectable, stories that start with “Do you remember when….”
Here are some highlights and I added the links where applicable.
Dec 1st: Christmas Movie with Caramel Popcorn
![IMG_7771 IMG_7771](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcg-iP-KGUrMgU-5nOKMC3LmHFmH2S8GtKhAPvbo31meKfkqB5JkPy7meN6rOC0i3T_aYr23qQQw9a45T0HY3e-KK8na6IpJWyz25J17LsWB6VHSBOhyphenhyphenZT__tRMDnePArHbzPOQ/?imgmax=800)
For this activity I actually ended up using this recipe: Honey Vanilla Caramel Popcorn from PineappleandCoconut.com
It includes no corn syrup and uses honey instead. It was SO tasty! I don’t think I will ever go back to the corn syrup version again, even if we only make it twice a year.
Dec 2nd: Pomander Oranges
![IMG_7796 IMG_7796](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkNZh-zOdjydlQQmUljRqPuIkW7kPDiQ8TFIyxPZO8JHdFaTHyLOA1Bte5gstEk0u4xBgNx7SH_3v1o_4S-qw-sMNrvs13Aj4hAH_ZheNrhG-Dk21QEyk7Iu_gUBw756as1ZEmg/?imgmax=800)
Dec 3rd: Dreidel for Hanukkah with friends
Dec 4th: Paper Snowflakes and Stars Crafts
![IMG_7806 IMG_7806](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaYKPKPlPL0NIeFfevQ6W5RZtxJBqzg_7Aj_ck_SUme2b1vUNBMFF4AhAvvjJ2OMUyLve1kGVPxFzjxYVDdnZeFRZtDu7wYke8akjXS9tvhf8qQ7IWm92PL6sgPefhwZkq4Ap4Q/?imgmax=800)
Dec 5th: Journey to Bethlehem
![IMG_7817 IMG_7817](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGaMUSa8JR5LoG68RnGlqRGHJe3bkk32ORkYFawVYsUHgdzBNDvpl4Fp5Q3aa5wvxojYxUwlots5aDGzOLyuZgE5TZ9cJ5kotDSromReLp6TdUhDHPfYVFgTAoH6fQZUPo-kb_Q/?imgmax=800)
Dec 6th: St Nickolas day
The kids laid their shoes out the night before and I got to treat them with a chocolate coins and a neat little trinket.
It’s a fun tradition considering Santa Claus coming down the chimney is a ‘fun’ thing at our house and not a ‘real’ thing. I read the story of the real St Nick and we celebrate his life, completely separately from the Christmas holiday. (That's where the chocolate coins come in… if you want to read about the real St Nick check this out!)
Dec 7th: Breakfast with Santa at the Station
![IMG_7838 IMG_7838](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9A3oiw5V1L2LJFqKE5hSF8LJQ0MPYFRvuKWXIxgoxxhFfY-O0Z0B3qiw6B4MAedWlnpMYeYmkUfB_VpYUh9RSqJtcilufxo-Be4NEVfAzB9HNQD_uKFVZOne8ipro_aReMyz8sQ/?imgmax=800)
Dec 8th: Family Game Night!
I WISH I had pictures of this. This was one of those memory nights. Highlight:
Playing Taboo w ILs and family. Boys vs girls...
Carlos says "um... Ah... I love this?"
Don says "beer!"
Carlos "yes!"
This game is rigged.
Dec 9th: Get Christmas Tree
![IMG_7857 IMG_7857](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFEaV8OrDZ_TCU_Oz3s1pnWuKY23grsnUSBBI6siRqcZjNBR7y1tzlT8r4RusFw7EJupHAqKio0EFV0030B9Dmse9ssFW4_vAsAXsAvlJOAUlVOkfi_jGzg92tZSV0jT5Od83Mpw/?imgmax=800)
Dec 10th: Teasel Hedgehog Crafts (Never got to this… teasels are still on the nature table… maybe after break?)
Dec 11th: Going to see Santa scuba diving with some sharks at Zoo Lights
![IMG_7892 IMG_7892](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5g8-mWFtMuWcKQi-dFcDq7NvHtJpJ6Xxtbw3UGldCf6Q6KQMr6Trh8e8Os-7DaHVHgwVqDXGEPl6WOWnM2CF6KXebtidCte0M6FsqX1iW29gdvjikZ9EJZ9nZDx20O7u_dhzPlw/?imgmax=800)
Seriously… how cool is that??
Dec 12th: Cards and Gifts for Friends
Dec 13th: Going to see Paradosi Ballet Company
![IMG_7927 IMG_7927](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj839Daf3LmCheTVKE4UF5j0ds5ATXGbGiU29eYS3xOj-J1a_1Gy3ovy4Ry1lStDnHUndQrWod73Mefj46Arux9c9iBRXLOlDhzB3yrY2VBEmCIzSc-swMBJNKecseSHm6Gm1eCsg/?imgmax=800)
Dec 14th: St Lucia Day (make St Lucia Bread) (Technically it was the 13th, but we ended up making it for Christmas brunch.)
![IMG_8088-001 IMG_8088-001](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYuA0Z4gpN07jl2p6wNtJiCDGlSfHEZfM2BnH8eVZEpjBaHtpJkBPda-7qTBiWbZ4MzNwmJ3jlYduUgut5s5OOY9Qh9SMbzTSmGoxvCD4Hcw_I7iKbpBFTHZ6I0Dmpy61SibNtw/?imgmax=800)
Dec 15th: Go find some snow at Mt Rainier!
![IMG_7958 IMG_7958](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3op-92aOKa8aCxTNm9GSuInWVRXZoS2bidj8aV-eP_PByEgZ7HN8M_MMa3GoFGlEMFMNdVUDfFL6coYEWUcFndQBcs0f4QFU-wZqL2Bovo3-WxAQwanNEvjc2lwL-wmySIGzzqw/?imgmax=800)
![IMG_7959 IMG_7959](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RgKP5KRvRyUkEwbcXESQfwX-tYODy5FC-SHHdbxwmhfj1PxoqoSdNUp0cZpNXWRzYjfiSyqS-djCcODk5ePsbR30sXkhm0prT6vT00Y6_oSlgd19xmm_FUycT_VbW2JsccQ_YA/?imgmax=800)
![IMG_7960 IMG_7960](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9R88H5NPrzhhNcKw29gdx35BfvdBha9hOk_r9k8ESryr4NVbi7B6gV4p-u-EwMiLhKzaUE4QGLML8ovQDH9FwlAvs6tpkHCttau_m2MofJMVO1SwcMUSuAKiWMjw8HuVNlXPLQ/?imgmax=800)
![IMG_7961 IMG_7961](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYg3bxzupEXff9chuhNRm9FlyihQNVIj8RphYhUHdA-moiSbyzPGffgT6pSI9tJYr2f0Jf8DvK4aORmxrB3sWadrjjEqnKEMgmie8L8yraiLsDwRN9j-3MaB6cY3DPiZ7iqMVIg/?imgmax=800)
![IMG_7962 IMG_7962](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kvuw1RsmH_7yO7Hodr7vbQXAOaVt3D-7gPp3-bP3Nzz2NEUcV2ED5OUWrnLIdzu_RTv8BiuwDZb82Sfi-pcEdsfYbamFZmMn4lu5lv7uqxB7br1Gwgm1zFlimsUXTGDVKxGgzw/?imgmax=800)
![IMG_7963 IMG_7963](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQS8jXZ0kKy9T2z139uqZdu7FbwYy-UPlzKLf9sT_Uy2jcsyjonb7Kh7ipz-pvNO7tE1YXMWIHbQTheWid0bQIt_6xsMF3NWT35VwaaJuQMg1a4hjXbIy5kVQEWI_KP3zXuovnQ/?imgmax=800)
This was Ember’s (our 4 mo old puppy) first outing and she was so excited! It was adorable watching her run around in the snow. Luckily, we had had some snow just last week, so she wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with it. She just jumped in and had a blast!
Dec 16th: Shopping for Mommy with Daddy
Dec 17th: Chocolate dipped treats
![IMG_7981 IMG_7981](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSDz5uPaxd4wNynX11O6JexKAvrhrdz-7BCZ7-HcOythfjEw1hEMHRtn9kL_9SlAxH8nbqrW-KN6VXom5O2oMdIOjFobDH9s68zfAMjWCinFnevkRGI8GJk52QR-IUDetf-nf6w/?imgmax=800)
Dec 18th: Make peg doll nativities
![IMG_7985 IMG_7985](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinW7386aNGhAipYhplt6sZmQzJ_gQaseRCaLEt26FYb5F06VFCqYC0kcNyqx2FJLYMi3V2JnwgdGF5vkpv-7Q_LFlsiaKHlEGeB-OhD4FLDa2wIpUKwW0U9wLuQYD3hw4iMZIxQ/?imgmax=800)
Dec 19th: Make gifts for our feathered friends
Dec 20th: Christmas Cookies for Neighbors
![IMG_8061-001 IMG_8061-001](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHS_aGdq1l9S5bdHv6442dRI1M8mI35fpb3XIpFfOsOiOL0uRZgHIxQ5V0aL4yElgGFoodHGhc7xYDPjZ3JZvlSwMHbh6R5W8__uU2d7c1GOH4XDv-B5uBQjmgAoMTxMZppHsr0A/?imgmax=800)
Dec 21st: Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt with fresh hot cider
![IMG_7999-001 IMG_7999-001](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLqdAuNBpbJcPzGvVmpqSSCR0kSjm2nibYRkii_ZWoF3WfGPRtHf6rrhniIn_pv4rui8qyJmyoPqx9A17owjWyBCU53FbwwRwdqPJTqKRxM0qmr1AAyFTG0nTz_eAkF0OHUUrUw/?imgmax=800)
Dec 22nd: Ice Skating!!
![IMG_8026-001 IMG_8026-001](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLJ6njxxzbGi3GdO87siqT6b3WncxhUksfDf4XzxKnZybdk7Hue5T_62Ih_eFLiF0UQpoSabzoOJgzre5OhmZ3Mz2kNTUQVegj46LJygMw-FIbNiw9pfWc518Abt9bNFH8IO1KA/?imgmax=800)
23rd: Fantasy lights at Sprinker Park
![IMG_8053-001 IMG_8053-001](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvdevYExbhK_yPylKuZjyBZ1QOSTUjbcAqffWPJ_G4bDHvlgD2E6LUD9xXmQaMEQhRektto57-MkOQZ94RzZp0RHAMvPElNWFhRm5CNEzVuku9wyW-t_at2WRLfw5JTD9A4roGw/?imgmax=800)
![IMG_8034-001 IMG_8034-001](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQorUscPzLMHfc_KcT8U_XWY80p50LFqYjixI3MReew31pSEq4CPr3ZBZ-_mF3OzP0YdpFwjxjlSsjQ16Bq_chOd22NHuwfLAkAsxkfMJBaUCyJ-wZ56pKcyhEIS09IVk1BBdHg/?imgmax=800)
![IMG_8048-001 IMG_8048-001](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuJDCU3Y1ZgQUdcbogpOD023Zu2CizVOvWt2zUAyXK0wa5tougJT6oQmUGIYXpWDLSv5LHpmQG-4_KM-05OKDlk3bp-OPUuZJXWucowgP75VKzJuL7fcdIlJAolD9zle5Flf2jQ/?imgmax=800)
Dec 24th: Light a fire and roast s’mores
Haha! Joke was on us, burn ban started today!
So we had some boxed chocolates and watched It’s a Wonderful Life together instead. I cried. I always do.
And that was it for this year. It was on to Christmas!
Advent Activities 2009
Advent Activities 2010
Advent Activities 2011
Advent Activities 2012