all about the countdown

by request for all who have asked .......

This is Carly's Christmas countdown box. Her Aunt Kacey gave it to her before December 2005. It is Carly's box, but it has turned into the way our family's holiday is organized and celebrated. The first year, we filled the boxes with candy, small toys, nail polish, bubble bath, jewelry, and I made a couple of notes because quite frankly, I was not creative enough to fill all 25 boxes. Come to find out, Carly liked those little notes more than she liked the little trinkets.

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Each year, before December 1st {sometimes November 30th at midnight}, I plan a month's worth of holiday fun. I make a calendar and add important dates like weekends out of town as well as marking the days of the week. It is important in scheduling - you can't make Christmas cookies if you are going to be out of town and some activities are better suited for Saturdays than Monday nights.

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This is the calendar I make and keep handy. I have to make sure that the scheduling continues to work....occasionally activities have to be changed or swapped the night before {shh, don't tell}. Carly keeps me honest. If the note says, going to the Christmas parade, she doesn't care if it is 10 below and sleeting she still expects that we are going to the parade. I also have to make sure we have what we need to accomplish the activity such as bacon if the activity is breakfast for supper.

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Most days, there are notes with activities but there are still a couple of small objects through the month. These work well for the days that we are not home such as the Saturday of the weekend that we have Christmas at the Lake House.

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Each year Carly's 25 box has a riddle that ends with a new game for the family. Kenny is really good at making up rhymes/riddles so they have become increasingly more complex. This year's had a scavenger hunt with 5 riddles.

Some activities have returned year after year. Some have come and gone. And others have made return appearances. Here are a list of activities that have been in Carly's box over the past 5 years.

• decorate your room
• new Christmas t-shirt
• paint nails with a tiny bottle of polish
• new Christmas puzzle
• Christmas parade
• bath in mom's tub with bubble bath
• dress Julie & Natasha {AG dolls} in Christmas dresses
• special night with Dad
• breakfast for supper
• make rice krispie treats
• make brownies
• visit Santa
• go to a Santa party
• write Santa a letter
• art activity
• make gift tags
• make wrapping paper
• ride around and look at lights
• out for ice cream
• ice cream sundaes for dessert
• Wizard of Oz tickets
• Zoo Lights
• go to work with Dad
• decorate gingerbread house
• make Christmas cookies
• make smores
• make bird feeders
• start a new chapter book
• shop for school missions project
• set the dinning room table for Christmas dinner
• make shrinky dink ornaments
• go to church Christmas concert
• eat lunch with mom {at school}
• out to movie
• Christmas movie night

[2005 - Kenny helping Carly read the riddle from box 25]