Activity advent calendar - one idea left to go!

[LucasNorthsTwiglets]

Every year I do an activity advent calendar for the DCs (now 12 and 8) but this year I'm stuck for one last thing. I want something simple and sort of traditional, like going for a walk to look at Christmas lights or watchign a Christmas film with hot chocolate. Not a craft as I've got loads of those ideas and nothing that's going to cost money.

Any brainwaves?

Carol singing, carol concert, crib service, Christingle service?

Sort through old toys to give to charity? (While listening to Christmas songs)

Wrapping presents for grandparents? Or would that be craft?

Have a snowball fight (with balled up a4 paper).

I'd agree with a Christmas Eve service, or carol singing.

You could look up local churches with peals of bells, and go and listen to bellringing practice night.

Hunting for holly/miseltoe on a nice long forest walk?

You could make an early one jobs they need to do before they get all the nice Christmas stuff. Might sound mean but sounds like you've arranged lots of lovely things for them so no harm in getting them to help free up some of your time by helping with all the jobs that go with Christmas

Our jobs have included -
lay table on Christmas Eve for dinner next day (as long as not entertaining Christmas Eve)
Get our rooms ready for Santa
Get tree
Decorate tree
Wrap presents for family
Go for walk and collect greenery for mantelpiece/table decoration
Deliver cards to neighbours

Thanks, everyone! Some good ideas there - I've got several of them on the list already but I'll definitely add some to the list. Love the snowball fight with crumpled A4! Will prob gor a walk to look for greenery to makr decoration with - that's perfect.

Carols are always a problem for me at Christmas. Well, problem is too strong a word - it's more of a ponderingment :) I love the tunes and singing carols has a lovely nostalgic feel but we are atheists so I don't want to go to church (it seems disrespectful/hypocritical). There is a carol concert at our local theatre that I'll go to but it's when the DCs are in school, annoyingly.

Thanks for the ideas!

Maybe look out for songs at turning on of town lights/village Christmas tree/candle light procession. Locally these tend to be brass band and kids singing we wish you a merry Christmas. Very festive without being religious.

Bringing greenery into house is part of Yule celebrations, along with feasting and lighting candles to mark winter solstice, shortest day to remind us of the light of summer and the turning of the year. Atheist here too not pagan

I went to a Steiner kindergarten advent spiral once where they lay greenery on the floor and the kids took it in turns to carry a candle in a apple and put it in the spiral while the kids sang twinkle twinkle. Years later I was reminded of it at my kids school Christingle at church where the kids each had a candle in an orange.
Sorry rambling! Enjoy your advent