Just 56 days.... OH MY!

56 days until CHRISTMAS will begin in this house! AND....
I AM SO EXCITED!  I really am! 

This past week, I've been reviewing, revising, rethinking... re-re-re-... my list... it is scary too - because my mind starts to go 90 miles a minute and my list begins to grow..... GROW!!!!
  I can't have it growing when I'm so near the finish line.... but it does.... and some  things have changed.... But I think all in all - it will be good... I have made a "CHALLENGE" to myself that I WILL NOT change the list (by adding anything to my lists) after Oct. 15! So, IF I can be strong....I think I just might make it! :) 

My neighbor gifts are just about done! YEAH! I didn't quite make my "goal" by completing this weekend... but for sure by weeks end THEY WILL BE DONE!

I've been able to "CHECK" a few things off of my kids lists.... WHAT A GOOD FEELING that is! AND... even the names we have drawn out for this year! Those always seem to be the hardest for me... So I'm very grateful to have most of them done! YEAH!!!! 

It has been a couple of CrAZy! weeks around here - so I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine next week (knocking on wood!) and get the majority CHECKED off my list by months end so that I can stick to the "BAKING" during November.... I'm hopin!  I'm hopin!  :) 

The one thing that I am SO SUPER-DEE-DUPER excited for is my "advent" calendar!  It's just about done! I'm making it out of a "mini-cupcake" pan....  It is similar to this one... isn't it just cute!  My goal is to get this done this week as well..... the part that I am most excited about is.... I can CHOOSE what goes into each day - and I can "change" it if needs be.... for instance... "Build a snowman as a family".... it's kinda hard to do.... if there is no snow right???  :)  I think that this is my number one reason for being so EXCITED for DECEMBER!  I am so excited to get back to the BASICS!  To just ENJOY my family! To "FEEL Christmas this year!  SO EXCITED! 

 

 Here is a "SNEAK PEAK" at what some of our "activities" will be..... 

SO EXCITED! 

(of course, some may change and some may not get done - but I'm determined to do SOMETHING everyday from the advent calendar!)

Go to Temple Square 

Christmas "cinn-a-drive" (the homemade cinnamon rolls and all of us pile in the car and drive around to see the lights- I LOVE having my family together in one car - laughing, singing, oooohhhhh-ing and awe-ing!) 

A Night in Bethlehem (my fav!) - I'll be sharing this on another post

Christmas-Slumber party & LAZY day

(this is the day we just watch Christmas movies all day - in our PJ's-more info later too!) 

Pretzel making

Gingerbread House contest

Deck-the-Halls (this is when "DECK" the house, put up the tree, turn on the Christmas music and have hot wassil & homemade donuts!)

Build a SNOWMAN

Have a SNOWball fight

Go Sleigh Riding 

Read a Christmas story (we actually do this every night - and the first FHE night we purchase a "NEW" book to add to our "CHRISTMAS ONLY" collection books 

Traditional Christmas Shopping Night 

WRAP it up night! (we wrap gifts, sing songs-ok we TRY to sing as we listen to Christmas music, etc)

The Christmas Carol @ Hale Theater 

Go to a "CHRISTMAS" movie as a family 

Make Candy Cane Reindeer, cherry snowmen, Mice and DIPPED spoons...

And then.... we will deliver them the next night to a retirement/assisted living center

(I only wish we could sing and dance and had some WONDERFUL talent and take some sort of a program to them... but we can't and don't, so this will have to do!) 

Visit the childrens hospital and take a "gift" to each of them.... like a Christmas book!

Shovel someone's (or 2 or 3 or more!) driveway - anonymously :) 

Choose a family (or two) to do the 12 days of Christmas for

Start a "CHRISTMAS CAROLING" chain... 

(we start by caroling to a home (feel sorry for that first home now :) ) and then invite them to join us and continue to carol to about 10 different families, then everyone returns to our home for HOT CHOCOLATE and goodies!)

A stroll through the street night - (this is where we walk the neighborhood and stop in front of each house and talk to each other about the people that live there and "how" they have made a difference in our life"... if we don't know them, we find something that we "really" like about their home, or things that we have witnessed them do for others through the year) 

Open our gift... GIFT OF LOVE gift .. the gift we choose to give to the Savior during the year.... we take time to review and re-evalute and see how well we did. We write in our journal and share our experience, if we choose. (I like to do this one close to the first of the month, so we can be reminded through the month and try a little harder if needs be, to give our gift of love, and feel that we honestly "tried".)

A trip down memory lane 

(this is where we gather and reminisce of Christmas's past - such a fun night! We usually start by pulling out the STACK of Christmas cards we have received over the years and tell the kids about all the wonderful people we have met along the way..... ) 

And... of course... our Traditional Christmas Eve Party! 

And on Christmas night... we all "write down a gift" that we want to give to the Savior next Christmas.... (GIFT OF LOVE GIFT) and then, put it in a "wrapped" box and place it under the tree and it is boxed up with the Christmas stuff until the following year. (We also write the same thing down for ourselves and put it in a place that we will see it often and be reminded of our "gift to the Savior" for the coming year.)

OH!!! I am SO SUPER EXCITED!!! I hope it all goes as I have it envisioned in my little head!!!

What are some "traditional" activities YOU do?
I'm always needing new ideas!
PLEASE SHARE!
:)