Okay, what activities are going into your advent calendars this year?

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

My two are only very little but i want to start this year anyway, so far Ive got:

Make Decorations (salt dough, threaded chocs, snowflakes etc)
Dressing The Tree
Christmas Shopping
Christmas Movie
German Market
Early Christmas Dinner
Visit Santa
Make Christmas Cards
Baking (Cookies, Mince Pies, Sweets, Truffles, Muffins)
Prepare Present Hampers
Make Stockings
Decorate Plant Pots (giving GRandparents plants for Christmas)
Framed Photos (Christmas Pic of kids and they can decorate frame,)
Make Pamper Gifts (Bath Bombs, Sented Candles, Massage Oil, Body Lotion, Bath Salts)
Nature Walk to collect things for decorations, Pine cones etc

This is all the things I need to do anyway, so need lots lore please :)

You mean each day you have to do that activity? or is it a promise to do the activity on another day?

omg, calm freaking down. it is september

damn I've just posted on a Christmas thread in september!

Hama beads are great to make Christmas decorations and gift tags.

Surely to get all that done you need to start now, never mind the 1st December?

I don't really understand the concept - surely your toddlers aren't going to be helping you concoct body lotion?

nearer the time you might have some idea of a REALISTIC plan.....

firstly - cereatloffender, if you don't want to talk about christmas things why are you in the christmas talk thread!!

BDE - can't see much that you've missed to be honest. there was a thread about this last year i seem to remember so do a search to get some great ideas.

Of course they will help, its only the same as baking with them, lots of stirring and getting coverd in ingredients, I'm planning on only using natural products so all safe for little ones to mess with, they love getting messy! (grin)

I'm going to try and make an advent caledar with little pockets, big enough for a choc each and an activity card to do that day for christmas, they were my ideas so far, not got to do all of them, just some ideas, mainly the things i need to do anyway for christmas.

So...any ideas, (other than wait 2 months )

I am always nervous of doing an advent calender with ideas for activities in as life always seems to get in the way! December is frantic with school plays and carol concerts, I worry that we would never get round to doing the activity behind each door and then completely defeat the object of making it.

If they are only toddlers then I would keep the ideas very simple.

Potato printing wrapping paper
Baking and decorating simple cookies to put on the tree
Making paper chains
Making cards for Grandma
Visit Santa
Christmassy DVD
Trip to look at the Christmas lights

IMO making pamper gifts isn't going to be very exciting for toddlers, and isn't enormously practical.

Struggling to search at mo, my internet throws a wobbly each time i try, will hvae to get DH to check it over, thanks

dont know if church is your thing,but we go to the childrens christingle service every year.....even the teens come

away in a manger sung by the children by candle light

i will post where i please.

This is why Im starting it this year, can see what to drop, plus my two wouldnt realise if we didnt do anything so cant lose this year

And life doesnt get in the way here - i dont have one, my ishoos prevent it so this will break up my ceebeebies filled days. Plus i must have sad toddlers, we make bath fizz all the time and they seem to like doing it, just a mix of milk powder, coca, citric acid, bicarb soda, shake it up in their jars, then sprinkle in the bath.

We do make a lot of mess though

In case anybody wonderd, there is a thread call 'help me think of 24 christmassy things to do...' but i dont know how to link, sorry

Need one a day, some will be two a day, see santa in evening so will do something else in the day with them for example. Tbh, most of the list so far is what i would need to do anyway. I cant wait

Rather brilliant link full of advent activity ideas for each day

they are all lovely ideas but doing one a day would seriously freak me out

if i did more than 4 of them all december i'd be pleased!

Wish I hadn't opened this thread- I feel like a really rubbish mother now . Not sure I'll be doing any of that with mine (may have considered santa visit but 3yo is TERRIFIED of him).

These things are great, my dc love them! Some years I alternate them so they sometimes get a tiny gift instead of an activity (ie a new tree decoration or something) so they don't get too overwhelmed. I include things like "go to dd1s school play - have fun dd1" as activities again to avoid being overwhelmed (all the activities come from santa, hence the personal notes!). Oh and I always have at least one that is along the lines of "do as little as possible, enjoy relaxing, it is nearly christmas!!"

My one tip is not to put them all in the advent calender. Write them and then each night select the one you want for the following day so it can fit in around your plans - I always say that santa drops them off each night, it creates loads of excitement!

Oh, the other thing I do (although this may be a bot OTT ) is make a christmas box then each time I put a card in the calender I also put all the items needed for the activity into the box... seems to add to the whole thing!

Mind you I love Christmas and I strongly feel that the children should be just as excited as me from at least December 1st