I made a little collage of our Advent this year from my Instagram pics. I posted at least one picture per day of what we were up to. Some of our advent activities were super simple, some took more effort in doing outings, some are one-time-wonders, and some are favorite traditions. It's been fun being in a new city and narrowing down what our new favorite local traditions will be here in Austin (while we will always miss a few of our favorites from our Seattle days).
day 1- we didn't get family pictures taken this year, so on our way to church one morning, we stopped at a local park for a little photo sesh with the kids, to have something to put on our Christmas card. The kids had fun and we got some cute pics to treasure...
day 2- We got a tree (huge!! because we had no furniture in our living room, so why not fill it with a yummy smelling fir?) and "decked the halls".
day 3- The kids and I did our own "Polar Bear Plunge" - it was mid-80s, so we didn't have to be that brave at all! ;) But we still had fun at Barton Springs!
day 4- The kids colored and cut out their own nativity scenes, and then we put them in their room.
day 5- Addressed a bunch of Christmas Cards and got packages ready to send in the mail.
day 6- Pajama Day! We gave the kids some festive pjs, and then declared it pajama day! Even I stayed in my pjs all day - even when we ran errands and took all our packages to the post office, we paraded around in our pajamas. The kids loved it!
day 7- We cut snowflakes out of coffee filters, and then we used them to make snowflake ballerinas. (gotta thank Pinterest for that one!)
day 8- We drove to Burnet to see Main Street Bethlehem. It's incredible, they turn a few acres into a replica of the little town of Bethlehem. You walk around amongst the merchant, taste the hot bread, hear the Shepherds, see the animals, camels, donkeys, see artisans at work, see the tax collector, etc. It is really amazing. And then, if you follow the star, you will find a quiet and dark cave, where the baby Jesus has just been born and is being adored. It is one of our favorite events.
day 9- Read the "Legend of the Candy Cane" and made candy cane cookies. Talked about symbols of Christ at Christmas.
day 10- We made a little reindeer as a craft. And I let the kids watch the "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" old classic movie.
day 11- Read the glorious pop-up book, The Nativity.
day 12- We had hot chocolate and finished making some home-made gifts as well as just crafted and got all artsy (and glittery!) at the table pretty much all day! We listened to Christmas music and had such a great time.
day 13- We went to a Christmas Party at church - and got to wear our pajamas again! It was a pancake and pajama party! It was a fabulous idea...every one had a blast!
day 14- The kids played with the Nutcracker masks we made last year, and watched the DVD with Daddy while Mommy got to go on a sister date to the Austin Ballet Nutcracker with her sister (which was breathtaking and so magical!). Next year, Sawyer and Aspen will get to go to the real ballet! So excited!
day 15- We had hot chocolate and Christmas Cookies at Aunt Tia's house and then we all went to Luminations at the Wildflower Center. They have millions of luminaries lighting the trails of the gardens, with live Christmas music. It's festive and fun (even if a bit chilly!)
day 16- We read a new Christmas book - Christmas Oranges. Such a sweet tale about love and sharing. We then shared an orange, and as if it could get any better - some friends dropped by with a plate of cookies. Extra bonus for the great real life example of those who share and give from the heart :)
day 17- We went to Trader Joes and got some mistletoe! Then, we waited for Daddy to get home... :)
day 18- We made Sugar Cookies and little packages to deliver to our neighbors.
day 19- I let the kids watch The Polar Express, and then we filled their sippy cups with hot chocolate and had them hop in the little red wagon as we went on our own little journey - dropped off the Christmas cookies to our neighbors, and then walked around the neighborhood admiring all of the beautiful lights. It was a warm evening, and just so perfect :)
day 20- Wrapping fest.
day 21- I took the kids (individually) to pick out a small gift for their siblings. It was so much fun. I generally do most of my shopping on line, so it was fun to go into the stores, even if it was a little crazy, with the excitement of my children searching for that special little something...and then we ended the night by watching Home Alone for the first time. Sawyer thought it was hilarious, Aspen was a little nervous :)
day 22- The kids spent all morning making "snow people" - snowmen, snow ladies, snow princesses, and snow superheros :)
day 23- Everyone was excited to make Ginger Bread Houses. The kids love to sneak candy while they decorate their houses. And after we were done...we had a slumber party under the Christmas tree...so fun!
day 24- We got ready for our Christmas Eve feast (we did SW style, with tamales and virgin drinks) - the sister missionaries joined us, and so did Tia and Adam - and Tia and Adam slept over, which was exciting. It was so much fun, a very magical and wonderful Christmas!
We look forward to doing another fun advent next year!
Merry Christmas!
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