Advent Ideas: Family Activities

FAMILY ACTIVITES!

Fun things to do for advent

~Read a Christmas Story
~Sing Carols
~Walk through a neighborhood and check out the lights
~Mani or pedicures for all
~Gourmet hot cocoa night

SNOW CONES!

I'm talkin' the REAL stuff!

OLD FASHIONED MOLASSES TAFFY PULL

Recipe and image from Taste of Home

My best friend used to do this with her family every Christmas.
This will be our first year making it myself.  Hope it's as good as Tara's used to be!

GINGERBREAD HOUSE DECORATING

Image from Stuff 4 Crafts

I usually purchase a prebaked kit.  Safeway, Costco, Wilton, and other stores have their own versions for about $10.  We use up our extra Halloween candy too!

Mom Hint:  Just hot glue the gingerbread house together before the kids are home from school.  No one's really going to eat it.  The hot glue is fast and much more stable than the icing for structural hold!

**GIVE!**

This is honestly a kid favorite at our house. 
Give each child an envelope with some money and let them pick where they want to donate.  It doesn't even need to be a large amount and it doesn't even need to be money~Donate time by volunteering.  Let them do the shopping and let them be the one to drop off the donation.

Usually it's mom and dad who control the spending and get the warm fuzzie good vibes from donating.  Let the kids see how good it feels to do it. 

A few places that are great to donate money, food, time, etc.
Local Food Bank
Battered Women's Shelter
Red Cross
Animal Shelter
Heifer International
Doctors Without Borders
Humane Society
Community Christmas Basket Programs
Coats for Kids
Toys for Tots
Military Support Programs
etc., etc, etc....