Advent Calendar: 25 Things to do this Christmas time

December is my favorite time of year. And to be sure I focus on seizing it and not let it stress it away, I create an advent calendar of fun things I would love to do until the big day. You’re welcome to join me and use as many of the ideas below as you want until the 25th. Hope you have fun! ?

1. Take a walk outside to feel the winter breeze
2. Go see the lights in your neighborhood or city or both!
3. Print Christmas paintings to color (alone, with the kids, you choose!)
4. Pick a book with a red cover or set during Christmastime
5. Buy a Christmas magazine (I have a cooking one I buy every December, choose your favorite kind!)
6. Post your letter to Santa!
7. Gather and donate winter clothes to someone in need
8. Build and decorate a gingerbread house or Christmas cookies!
9. Light a candle on each Sunday advent
10. Go to a Christmas market or village
11. Listen to some classic Christmas music while you read
12. Watch the Christmas TV ads
13. Prep food for Christmas ahead – I usually do this 1 week before the day and freeze it, so by the day I just defrost it and put it right in the oven (example: Tanya’s Burr Chicken Pie, Jamie Oliver’s Creamed Spinach dish…)
14. Make Hot Coca and watch The Polar Express
15. Read by the Christmas tree
16. Read a book with “Christmas” in the title
17. Cheese Pizza and watch Home Alone!
18. Wrap gifts while watching a Christmas movie and drinking a festive drink
19. Read a Christmas poem or audiobook – there are several children read along for free on Youtube
20. Go Christmas shopping by yourself or with your other half and enjoy the season! (if possible, without the kids!)?
21. Have a silent night by yourself – Christmas book + silence – must need for moms ?
22. Dec 22nd: Go easy on yourself: order takeout and have a Christmas Eve Eve Eve Movie Night with popcorn included!
23. Dec 23rd: bake all the Christmas treats! (in our family this is the traditional day when we bake together all the Christmas Portuguese desserts, and I love it!) – if you don’t have this tradition, gather your grandma’s or other family’s recipe of Christmas treats and bake it for the first time!
24. Dec 24th: Watch the Christmas Mass live from Vaticano or another favorite of yours
25. Dec 25th: hear Christmas music all day! (PS: ChristmasFM will be playing all Christmas morning in my kitchen!)

Oh, it was so hard to keep it at 25! I have in total almost 50. Let me know if you’d like to see a bigger list of these next time. I would be more than happy to share all my Christmassy ideas of activities to do during December with you!

Have fun and happy holidays!