It is  fun to countdown to Christmas with an Advent Calendar. The calendar not only builds some excitement, it is a particularly festive decoration. Every year we try to create a new idea for our family Advent Calendar. This year we saved cans and spray painted them! I love how it turned out and my kids do too!

We painted the cans, drilled holes in the sides and added  wire handles.  The numbers were cut on the Silhouette out of white vinyl.

We will fill the cans with a tiny sweet or trinket for each child and then a slip of paper with an idea for a family activity.

50 Family Activities

1. Go Ice Skating
2. Make Christmas cards
3. Go Christmas caroling or sing Christmas songs at home
4. Give everyone manicure & pedicures
5. Let each child choose a favorite dinner
6. Push the furniture back and dance
7. Watch It’s a Wonderful Life or the How the Grinch Stole Christmas
8. Play a game
9. Decorate Christmas cookies and share with neighbors
10. Have a special friend for dinner
11. Make Christmas ornaments
12. Make hot chocolate and read Christmas stories
13. Make a Gingerbread house
14. Make a simple pine cone bird feeder
15. Have a special breakfast
16. String popcorn and cranberries
17. Play cards
18. Make a paper ring garland
19. Have a fireside meal (we use this and make grilled cheese and apple pies in the fireplace)
20. Cut snowflakes for the windows
21. Make and hang beautiful wrapping paper stars
22. Drive around to see neighborhood Christmas lights (put hot cocoa in to go cups and put on pjs)
23. Go to a holiday movie
24. Roast marshmallows in the fireplace
25. Offer to help an elderly neighbor with their Christmas decorations
26. Work together as a family to make some handmade gifts
27. Make decorative sugar cookies
28. Purchase gifts for a needy child or family
29. Invite friends over in their pajamas to read Christmas  stories
30. Play in the snow, build a snowman
31. Go for a walk at night and look at the stars
32. Try out these printable crafts
33. Make paper candy canes
34. Make some yummy peppermint candy covered popcorn
35. Make gift tags and wrapping paper
36. Make super simple sugar cookies
37. Make snow paint
38. Make homemade stickers
39. Make homemade playdough
40. Make a pie and take it to a friend
41. Have ice cream sundaes with this special ice cream topping
42. Make a candy wreath to give to a friend or decorate your own home
43. Make shrinky dinks
44. Have breakfast for dinner (serve smiley pancakes)
45. Make glittery snowflakes
46. Make Candy Cane Mice
47. Make Candy Cane Reindeer
48. Invite Santa for breakfast and serve snowman doughnuts
49. Hand write letters to  friends that live away.
50. Write something nice about each family member on a slip of paper and place it under their pillow

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