If you are following along at 100DaystoChrismas.com, you know that today we have just a month until the start of December and 58 days to Christmas.  Today we are planning our advent calendars for 2013.

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seems to shrink every year. Christmas used to sneak up on me and I’d find that there were so many things that I wanted to do but didn’t get done.  Now, one of my favorite things about the holidays is our Advent calendar.  First of all, who doesn’t love a countdown?  Next, because our advent calendar is filled with activities, it allows me to think about all of the things that make Christmas so special and plan it all out in ListPlanIt‘s Advent Activity Planner (in Holidays & Occasions). Finally, it is a whole lot of FUN!  Advent starts Sunday, December 1.  For more information on how to plan your own Advent Activity Calendar, read about it here.

2013 Tankersley Family Advent Activity Calendar | ListPlanIt.com

Below are a few of our family favorite Advent activities from past years.  You can download our calendar for 2013 here, or click the image above.

• Gift everyone with a new Christmas cup or glass and toast with a wish for December.
• Learn a Christmas song/poem.  Perform it on video.
  
• Write letters to Santa.
• Christmas movie marathon (click here for a few of our family’s favorite Christmas movies).
  
• Bake Christmas cookies (see some of our favorite Christmas cookies here.
  
• Cut down your own Christmas tree.
  
• Celebrate St. Nick’s Day (12/6).
• Do a Christmas craft and present it as a gift to a loved one.
• Decorate inside and out for Christmas.
• Make a popcorn string for the tree.
  
• Go Christmas caroling with friends.
  
• Have a dinner picnic under the Christmas tree.
  
• Demonstrate holiday spirit to someone else.
• Celebrate Hannukkah by playing the dreidel or eating latkes.
• Put some hot chocolate in a thermos, get on some cozy pjs, and go for an evening drive to look at Christmas lights in your town.
• Make reindeer food.
• Build a gingerbread house.
  
• Attend a living nativity.

What is your favorite family Christmas-time activity?