I have a number of things going on for Christmas this year. It might be optimistic to think that I can make this much out of a single month. Oh, but I totally intend to make it happen.
There will be the giving project. We will do something for a random act of kindness or giving to our friends/families each day for the first 24 days of December. There are tons of resources for great ideas for this online. I've found several lists through pinterest and will link to everything at the end of my post for anyone interested in doing something similar.
This year the idea of doing a fun Christmas activity each day also appeals to me and feels doable. Sierra is getting a bit older and if I nap them the kids tolerate being up late pretty well so we have a little more leeway than we've ever had in the past. Again there are tons of lists going around on pinterest for this too. Again I will link to those at the end of this post but also come back because once I have my list compiled I will be sharing it here!
A third thing I want to do each day for the first 24 days of December is The Truth in The Tinsel. I saw this last year but funds were tight. This year I got it as part of a great sale I caught on various e-books for homeschooling etc. I have already printed it out and put it in the Christmas part of my day planner. I'm going to start collecting the craft supplies in the next few weeks so I'm all set for December. I plan to collect the items each day into a bin we can pull out in the evening and work through this as our nightly devotions with the kids. I really like this because it is very similar to the Jesse Tree idea but everything is laid out for us.
And finally a fourth note on Christmas this year. I've mentioned it in passing in other posts but I wanted to expound on it a bit. We're doing a handmade Christmas this year. I decided back in September when inspiration struck me in the form of pinterest. We are going to sit the kids down right after Thanksgiving and talk to them about our handmade Christmas this year so they won't be blindsided on Christmas day at the lack of store bought gifts. I hope to get them involved and encourage them to make something for their brothers/sister. I think I might have them each draw a sibling name and make something for that sibling - with my help of course. I will have a more detailed post with links and pics of what I'm making for the kids. And I will probably still have NO idea what I'm making for KOJ.
How do I plan to make all of this happen?? Well, for one, we take most of December off from school. It's part of why we start so early in August. Our giving project will constitute our social studies for the month. I will probably have Kayd continue in his math, grammar, and spelling (much to his dismay I'm sure), but I plan to add in a lot of fun hands on projects, activities, and fun printables like mazes and crossword puzzles as I find them for him. For the month of December though our priorities are going to be the giving project, Truth in the Tinsel, handmade Christmas projects, and the fun holiday activities. So yes, it sounds like a lot, but since we can forgo school without pushing us into July at the end of the year I do think it will be completely doable and hopefully a fun and memorable holiday season for the kids.
Ok link time. I found these links on pinterest but I'm linking directly to their sources.
Giving project/Random Acts of kindness links:
Random acts of kindness printable
Free printable RAK'd card
A great list of Random Acts of Christmas Kindness
Light Em up!
RAK for the school classrom - LOVE this for my teacher friends
Christmas family fun activities links:
Christmas books
50 things to do at Christmas
Advent Activities
Making an Advent Calendar
OTHER:
101 things, tips, and tricks for Christmas
Again you can always search keywords on pinterest. My searches pulled these and so many more great ideas up. And remember to come back here for my own lists in the coming weeks.
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