When I stumbled on this fabulous idea for an advent calendar, on the made blog, I knew I had to share it with all of you! I don't know about you, but the chocolate advent calendars get boring, and honestly there aren't a lot of alternatives that can really hit a lot of age ranges. This idea to wrap up a Christmas book for each day up to December 25th, put them under the tree (or in a special place) and have your children unwrap one each night to read together is genius! What's also great - you can use the Christmas (or winter) books you already have! You can also use library books, or find some at half.com or thrift stores or you can even ask family (like grandparents) to contribute (they can add a personal message on the inside cover to make it extra special). This can become an inexpensive and fun new tradition!
The following content is from the made blog.
our Advent Calendar and a list for getting started
I've wanted to do this for years but the kids were never old enough to appreciate it. But this year, I'm starting our collection. I've heard of people doing a book Advent and it's such a sweet way to count down to Christmas day (and have a special one to read Christmas night):
- Collect 25 Christmas-themed books
- Wrap and place them under the Christmas tree
- Starting Dec 1st the kids pick one of the books to unwrap each night
- Read that book together!
I picked a few obvious books, some a bit more random, and some that are really just snow-related. It's a large chunk of change to buy 25 books at once. So we'll be adding to our collection over time (ditching some of the so-so books and adjusting for the kids' ages). It's also a fun gift idea to ask family members to contribute to the collection (you know, when Grandparents ask what your family wants for Christmas).
And I'll prob check out supplement books from the library so we get to 25. Maybe we'll use library books first so I don't have to worry about renewal dates and then slip in the ones that we own. When I thumbed through our current books, we only had 4 Christmas titles. So, I ordered most of them through Half.com (ebay's site for buying used books, movies, and CDs).
Many of the books were as little as 75 cents a piece and were in pretty good condition. When buying from individual sellers, you pay $4 media mail per item. BUT if you buy many books from the same seller, the shipping goes down to about $1.70/book. To find these larger sellers, look for someone who has a ton of starred ratings and browse their shop for the titles you want. Here's a list of Christmas books we have and those we would like....
And I'd love your help!
If you have a favorite Christmas book I should add to the collection please leave it in the comments! (I really need some Christ-centered and true-meaning-of-Christmas titles).
Books we have:
Shall I knit You a Hat?: A Christmas yarn by Kate Klise
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
I've Seen Santa!by David Bedford
Olive, the Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh
The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steve Kroll
The Biggest Christmas Tree Ever by Steve Kroll
Gingerbread Mouse by Katy Bratun
Corduroy's Christmas by Don Freeman
Pip and Squeak by Ian Schoenherr
If you Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner
Merry Christmas, Splat by Rob Scotton
Books we'd like to get:
The Christmas Blizzard By Helen Ketteman
Over and Under the Snowby Kate Messner
The Night Before Christmas by...(which version do you guys like??)
You are My Miracle by Maryann Cusimano Love and Satomi Ichikawa
Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini
What else would you add?
If we don't make it to 25 books, I'll fill in the gaps with other holiday-related gifts...like this simple snow globe/music box (scored at Goodwill for $3) and a jazzy new Vintage Christmas CD that a friend sent me. I love finding cool new Christmas music--and I think my kids do too. Lucy often requests Christmas songs. And as much as I love some classic Harry Connick Jr. and Chris Isaak this is a really fun addition to the playlist.
While the kids played outside today, I grabbed the wrapping paper, went to work, and we're (almost) ready for December 1st!
Permission for sharing this article was given by Dana from the made blog.
