Christmas Advent Inspiration – not a chocolate in sight!

I am so excited for Christmas. I am amazed that I have been able to restrain myself from putting up the Christmas decorations yet! But with December just over a week away, my thoughts have turned to advent!

Harper is 14 months old, and has a cow’s milk allergy, so I found myself searching for an advent calendar other than the standard chocolate-a-day ones. There are lots on the market, and I loved the look of the Lego ones – however I felt she was still a little too young for most I saw. So I decided to create our own! We have a fabric advent calendar that allows you to put items of your choice into each day – so I have created small print outs of Christmas things we will do that day. Some days are fancier than others, and I had to take into account work days.

Here is my list;

December 1^st  – Play with a Christmas treasure basket (to be filled with tinsel, pinecones, a DIY snowglobe, a Santa hat, a plastic cookie cutter, and wrapping paper.

December 2^{nd –} Watch a Christmas movie. I think Arthur Christmas may be the movie of choice here.

December 3^{rd –} Make Christmas cards.

December 4^th – Read a new Christmas book at bedtime.

December 5^th – Go to the Garden Centre to ride on the carousel.

December 6^th  – Visit the Christmas shop to look at the decorations and lights.

December 7^th  – Visit the reindeer at a Christmas fair.

December 8^th – Make a Christmas decoration.

December 9^th – Meet Father Christmas.

December 10^th – Big family pre-Christmas meal.

December 11^th – Watch a Christmas movie – this choice of movie is TBC.

December 12^th – Christmas craft day.

December 13^th – Wear a Christmas jumper to nursery.

December 14^th – Paint a Christmas rock (if you have seen my Instagram stories you may have seen the latest craze in my area to paint, hide and find rocks – its such a lovely initiative!).

December 15^th – Hide painted rocks and search for new ones.

December 16^th – Listen to the Christmas organ at the cathedral

December 17^th – Walk around the neighbourhood and look for Christmas lights

December 18^th – Visit the nativity at the cathedral

December 19^th – Christmas colouring

December 20^th – New Christmas bedtime story

December 21^st – Visit the garden centre to look at the displays

December 22^nd – Christmas baking

December 23^rd – Walk around Grandma’s neighbourhood and look at the Christmas lights

December 24^th – Christingle at church

Do you have any Christmas traditions? I would love to hear them for some inspiration!