25 days of Christmas

Every year holidays come and go, and I have big plans with lots of things that I want to do with the kids, I get a few of them in, but forget about some, then I remember later and I am super bummed! So I decided to do 25 days of Christmas. I wrote some of them down, but I couldn't fit them all. So every day we did a Christmas Activity all the way til Christmas. It ended up being a lot of work some days, but it was also so worth it!

December 1st

Watch and Read The Polar Express, and drink hot chocolate.

This has become one of Emery's favorite movies.

December 2nd

Write letters to Santa

Emery was really struggling to come up with a third thing she wanted for Christmas. I gave her lots of ideas to put, one being play-doh, to which she replied, "Yeah I would want that, but this is enough. That can wait until another Christmas." little cutie.

December 3rd

We cut and colored snowflakes to decorate the house with. 

December 4th

A Live Nativity and Caroling

Emery dressed up as a angel and was so excited to do it. On the way there she said, "I'm so excited, I never got to be an angel before!"

December 5th

Hometown Christmas on Commercial Street. Face Painting, Hot Chocolate, Popcorn, Santa, Christmas Tree lighting, and Fireworks. Emery and Macie were thrilled to see Santa and sit on his lap. Harley....not so much. This was as close as he would get without tears. It was actually pretty funny. 

December 6th

Christmas Baking and neighbor gifts. 

I come from a long line of people who love to cook and bake. And it is the same for me, and my girls. If I so much as open a cupboard the come running, "I help! I help!" Emery actually watches cooking videos on YouTube when she is bored, and when the babies take a nap she asks to watch the Great Britain Baking Show on Netflix. Cooking and being in the kitchen brings us together and I love it. Which is why this is only the 1st of a few baking days on our Christmas countdown. This day we made Gingerbread Truffles to go with our neighbor gifts. We got most delivered tonight too. I am learning that service with toddlers doesn't have to be big, a lot of things are too hard to do with kids this little. Sometimes doing nice things for neighbors is service enough. We finished off the night listening to the Christmas Devotional, which ironically enough Elder Bednar talked exactly about the Light of Christ that our gifts were centered around!

December 7th

On this day the girls and I made these Santa handprints. We made them into card and wrote messages on the inside. Then we took them to the local Assisted Living and delivered them for FHE. The girls had so much fun and loved talking with them. Every lady we went to had a stash of treats and gave them one..or more...they left with more loot than we went with. It felt like trick or treating. We talked to Emery about service and how it made her feel. She really enjoyed it. 

Day 8: Making Christmas Trees

We turned a sugar cone upside down, painted with green frosting, then decorated them like trees! They were big fans of this activity because it involved eating sweets. Macie had to be reminded frequently the frosting was for the tree and not her mouth. 

Day 9: Ogden Christmas Village

This has become one of our favorite traditions. Going to the Junction, having dinner, then looks at the lights. This year our friends Joel and Hillary joined us, which will for sure have to become a tradition as well!

 Day 10: We read every single Christmas book we own. Which took over an hour. But these girls loved it! Harley bounces on and off my lap and destroys a few things with his freedom.

Our favorite Christmas books:

The Christmas Train

The Polar Express

Christmas Oranges

The Small One

Day 11: Handprint ornaments

Day 12: The Dickens Christmas Festival

Emery danced at this too, which made it extra fun! She did such a great job!

Day 13: We watched Christmas movies from the Christmas station of the YouTube Mormon channel. The girls loved them and it got some good conversations going from them. Even Harley got in on the watching action. 

Day 14: We have sooo much snow. So lots of snowballs, snow angels, snow men, and jumping in the snow!

Day 15: Marshmallow and chocolate chip snow men

Day 16: We made baby Jesus ornaments for our tree. Harley was laughing the whole time I painted his hand, it must've really tickled. I loved listening to Emery try and say 'swaddling clothes' while we talked about baby Jesus and when he was born. These ornaments will forever and ever be on my tree.

Day 17: Gingerbread houses

Harley clearly has his priorities, and decorating isn't one of them. 

Day 18: Christmas baking day! With my aunt, mom, Shayli, and me. We made fudge, caramels, chocolate covered pretzels, gingerbread truffles, soft ginger molasses cookies, and caramel shortbread cookies. 

Day 19: Sledding!

Day 20: This particular morning the kids went through their toys and picked out all the oens they don't play with anymore. Then we took a big box of toys, and a big box of sweatshirts and coats to the rescue mission. At first Emery struggled with the idea, I think she thought we were taking all of her toys, once she caught on it wasn't so hard for her. She did still keep a few that I know she doesn't play with, but she also didn't want to part with yet. That's okay though, next year! But then we took them down to Ogden and she said she felt very happy! Macie was excited but I don't think she fully understood what was going on. Emery did say she thinks Santa should take them toys too though. 

Day 21 was to go look at all the lights around town. We bought ice cream cones, listened to Christmas music, and drove all over town looking at everyone's lights.

Day 22 was probably the most magical of all. My mom bought the girls and I tickets to go ride the Polar Express. We drank hot chocolate, sang Christmas carols, ate chocolate chip cookies, and danced in the aisles. Best of all Santa came and gave us all a bell from his sleigh. It was so much fun. 

Day 23: We made Povitica Bread. This is an Austrian Sweet Walnut Bread we have made every Christmas as long as I can remember. My grandma made it with her mom growing up, and her with her mom. 5 generations have made this. It was brought over from Austria with my great great grandma Kogan, and boy we are glad because we love this stuff! 

Day 24: We wrote out 2016 presents for Jesus and put them underneath our tree. 

I would like to do this again every year. It ended up being a lot of fun for all of us and helped teach the girls about the real meaning of Christmas. I am so sad that it has come and gone now. I wish it could last so much longer.