Christmas came along and we were in the process of moving, so I didn't end up passing them out.
Instead we used them as an advent calendar.
Each can has a number on it and inside there is an ornament and a piece of candy for each person in the family. We took turns opening the cans. When it was your turn, you hung the ornament on the tree and passed out the candy.
My mother crochets beautiful snowflake ornament and gives one to us each year, so that's what I used to fill the cans.
My kids loved this and looked forward to it each night. This year I think I will add a story or scripture that we can read as a family.
Last year I had them set up on the kitchen cabinets. This year I decided to stack them on the shelf so they are easier to reach. Once the can has been opened, I put it away so that the kids can easily see how many more days until Christmas!
Do you like to count down to Christmas as a family?
What kinds of things have worked for you?
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I'm so coveting your cans! I'm a sucker for advent calendars. I'm actually making a bunch to give as gifts this year, so if you want help with the scriptures, let me know. :) You have so many fun family traditions!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute idea! Great way to count down and cute decor to boot! I am ALL about stocking up on holiday items for next year at the day-after sales. I've scored some great things that way. I didn't grow up using advent calendars but I am already sold on the idea for my kids. Puts to rest the 'How many days until Christmas?' question you get a million times a day:)
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome idea. My kids would cheat and look inside them, I bet. I need to do something similar, my kiddos are at such a magical age right now. I'll need to think of another way to do it on the cheap, but also something that looks nice. Hmmm... Something to think about. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! If you are thinking about adding Bible stories...consider doing the Jesse Tree readings which takes you through the family tree of Jesus.
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