The Countdown Has Started!!

I can't believe that tomorrow will be December 1st!! How did this year go by so fast? I spent some time today making our Christmas Countdown Chain. This is one of our family traditions that we enjoy and look forward to. Each year we have a Christmas countdown chain of red and green paper with 24 links. On each link is written a special activity that we participate in as a family. Some of these activities are service oriented, some of them are spiritual and others are just frivolous and fun. There is however, one common thread that all of our activities have, which is that we spend time together as a family having fun and building relationships.

Here is a listing of the activities we will be doing for the next 24 days. It may sound overwhelming at first, but I realized that most of these activities we were already doing each year and this just keeps them organized so we don't get bogged down. You and your family probably do at least 24 things related to Christmas too. Every year the list varies a bit. We used to go to the gingerbread house display and we are sad that they no longer do it. It never was as good after they stopped having it at the visitors center and this year Town and Country isn't even doing it. Had to cross that off of our list. We used to go visit Santa at the mall too, but now there aren't many believers in the jolly man here at our house so I'll probably just take Savannah one day while they are at school. Sometimes it is a bummer to have them grow up!! Ok, now the list:

S December 1 Put out Nativity Display - lesson on the true reason for Christmas
S December 2 First Presidency Devotional
M December 3 Prepare Neighbor Gifts
T December 4 Deliver Neighbor gifts
W December 5 Decorate Sugar Cookies
T December 6 Write Letters to Santa
F December 7 Shop for Tree Ornaments - each year our kids get a new ornament
S December 8 Decorate Christmas Tree
S December 9 Make Gingerbread house
M December 10 Go shopping for $1 gifts for siblings
T December 11 Send Christmas Cards
W December 12 Make an Ornament
T December 13 Watch Christmas Carol Movie - I love the Muppet version
F December 14 Make Grandparent gifts
S December 15 Ward Christmas Breakfast Party
S December 16 Read Christmas Stories – Drink Hot Chocolate
M December 17 Make gifts for Teachers
T December 18 Watch Polar Express
W December 19 Go out to Dinner at a Restaurant
T December 20 Drive to see Christmas lights
F December 21 Make Christmas Crafts
S December 22 Olsen’s Christmas Party
S December 23 Nativity Puppet Story
M December 24 Go Sledding (no snow? Go Ice Skating)