2013 Advent Calendar

This year Matt and I wanted to try our hands at making an Advent Calendar. Since December 1st is this Sunday, I thought I would share how ours turned out. 

{All of this cost less than $10} 

Matt and I came up with a list of ideas to do throughout the month. We did a mixture of fun activities, service, and spiritual related themes for our calendar. We wanted to have a good mixture so we would stay interested in our calendar. 

Then we wrote the ideas on a piece of index paper. We kept the supplies really simple because we didn't want to spend a ton of money on something that would be gone in a month. 

We put the slips of paper inside the red envelopes, and then numbered each envelope. Because we love sweets, we also put two small pieces of chocolate in each envelope. 

We put the envelopes in our tree for the display. You could do so many things to display your calendar. We were thinking of getting string or twine and hanging them from the wall with clothes pins, but the tree thing was cheap and easy. 

 I am really happy with the way our Advent Calendar came together. This was so simple and only took about an hour to put together. 

Here is a list of our daily Advent Activities: 

1. Write Christmas letters to our family

2. Read "The Gift of the Magi"

3. Family Game Night

4. Watch "A Gift to the World" 

5. Read Luke Ch. 10:25-37 

6. Watch The Santa Clause 

7. Go see Christmas lights in Seoul

8. Watch First Presidency broadcast

9. Read an Ensign Talk 

10. Hot Chocolate and Watch "The Coat" 

11. Make Peppermint Bark

12. Gift packages for the Ward missionaries

13. Watch Elf 

14. Visit Lotte World

15. Make Ritz cookie treats

16. Read "Rediscovering the Christmas Spirit" 

17. Read 3 Nephi 17:5-24

18. Make an Ornament

19. Write a 'Time Capsule' letter

20. Play in the snow (backup- breakfast in bed)

21. Go ice skating

22. Make sugar cookies

23. Read "The Best Christmas Ever" 

24. Watch A Christmas Story

25. Read Luke Ch. 2