So, besides beginning the new Elf tradition, we're adding another new activity to our Christmas docket this year : reading a Christmas book each day, counting down the days until Christmas. I have seen a few different ways online others are making this work for them, and I had actually disregarded doing it, as I didn't want the extra work during an already super busy season for me (and yes, I do realize it's super busy because I make it that way, but that's a topic for my therapist, not my blog). :) But after having seen my friend Missy pin this to her Pinterest boards, I knew I could make this work for us.
After searching through the boys' bookshelf, I only came up with about a dozen Christmas books (I'm gonna need to fix that...). So yesterday afternoon I headed to the library to find more to make up the difference. Well, I found a lot more, and added them to our own to make up the 25 we need to count the days to Christmas.
{Yes, I do wish for a fancified basket...but this is what I've got so it'll have to do.}
Along with the whole "I love Christmas and Christmas things and lots of activities and being busy" motive to do the read-a-book-a-day countdown, is the motive that this way, the boys will have to pick a new book each day to read before bed, instead of the same ones we've been reading for the past two weeks straight.
Ok, now that I have that off my chest...
Here is our list of Christmas books we'll be reading as we count to Christmas:
Counting to Christmas by Nancy Tafuri
Dear Santa: The Letters of James B. Dobbins compiled by Bill Harley
A Child's Story of Christmas based on the Scriptures
When Cows Come Home for Christmas by Dori Chaconas
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Oh, Nose! by Dennis Shealy
Merry UnChristmas by Mike Reiss
There Was No Snow on Christmas Eve by Pam Munoz Ryan & Dennis Nolan
When Santa Lost His Ho!Ho!Ho! by Laura Rader
Baby Bear's Christmas Kiss by John Prater
Guess Who's Coming to Santa's for Dinner? by Tomie dePaola
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Elmo's 12 Days of Christmas by Sarah Albee
One Night in a Stable by Guido Visconti
Are You Grumpy, Santa? by Gregg & Evan Spiridellis
Elmo's Christmas Countdown adapted by Meg McLaughlin
Jingle All the Way by Tom Shay-Zapien
A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz
Santa Knows by Cynthia & Greg Leitich Smith
Little One, We Knew You'd Come by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Big Bird's Ticklish Christmas by Sarah Albee
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess
Annabelle's Wish adapted by Susan Korman
The Littlest Christmas Star by Brandi Dougherty
The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
The Very First Christmas by The Beginner's Bible
In addition to our book countdown, we will also be counting to Christmas with our action Advent tree, just like last year.
This year, the tree is on the dresser in the boys' bedroom, to add Christmas cheer to their room and to be a reminder of all that we'll be doing to prepare for Jesus' birth. I've added a few new ideas to our activity list this year (with thanks, again, to my friend Missy); however, I won't be blogging about them daily, like I did last year. It's just too much. {See? I am learning.}
So with that, there are 24 days until Christmas. Happy Counting!
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