I sat on a ton of ideas for this holiday season, stewing over them all of November. In the past we have done 25 books but I tend to struggle wrapping 25 books (which seems like a waste of wrapping paper). Last year we participated in the Light the World campaign that our church puts on and there was a prompt every day which was great but also overwhelming on top of other scheduled activities and other impromptu ones we wanted to do.
So this year I loved that our church simplified the campaign by making weekly focuses (the world, your community, your family, your faith) and tried to correlate our activities towards the weekly themes. I bought an advent calendar and put chocolates as well as a slip of paper inside with some sort of activity for the day. I bought 5 new holiday books and have “open a new Christmas book” in five of the mittens and the rest of them are full of service opportunities, family activities, and ways to get together with extended family and friends.
Here is our list below:
Light the World
1. Make blessing bags at the Parker’s house
2. Watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional
3. Donate to a charity (I found the site, Charity Navigator, helps you find charities that are actually using donations well)
4. Family Home Evening: make gifts for grandparents
5. Open a new Christmas book
6. Attend church Christmas Nativity Concert
7. Family Movie Night: Elf
8. Winter Hike
Light Your Community
9. Think of who we can add to our prayers and pray for them each day this week
10. Open a new Christmas book
11. Family Home Evening: Invite friends over to make cookies
12. Pick up any trash we see today (maybe go on a trash pick-up walk)
13. Picnic dinner by the tree
14. Open a new Christmas book
15. Visit the Christmas trains
Light Your Family
16. Watch a Christmas classic: Miracle on 34th Street or It’s A Wonderful Life
17. Do a chore for someone at home (make their bed, help put away their clothes, do the dishes without being asked)
18. Family Home Evening: Make ornaments for the tree
19. Open a new Christmas book
20. Dance party to Christmas music
21. Make gingerbread houses
22. Drive around to see all of the beautiful lights
Light Your Faith
23. Sleep under the tree
24. Open a new Christmas book
25. Say a prayer of gratitude before opening presents
I realized after procrastinating getting all of this put together and doing it at 11:30pm November 30th, that it really was going to make our season easier in the long run. It would help us focus on the light that this season brings in simple ways and with that, hopefully we create some magical memories for our family along the way.
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