Advent Calendar #3

This is the last installment of Advent Calendar activities for this year. 

Day 17 – Making Gingerbread Houses.  This was a new addition this year, and it was by request.  Thankfully, Jeremy rescued me and my unpreparedness when he found a kit at Bed, Bath, and Beyond while we were shopping.  I will say I am not necessarily a fan of this one.  It is a bit more complicated than people make it out to be.  I had read you should hot glue the house together.  I did that, and I was thankful for that tip.  We didn't’ have to wait for frosting to dry or hope it would hold.  I think it would have held, but it would have been tricky to know how to prop it up while it dried.  The girls had fun.  Next time, I would let them eat more of the candy decorations… because they are disgusting after they sit there forever!

    

Day 18 – Wrap presents.  The girls enjoy doing this.  I do not generally like wrapping gifts, probably because I save it all til the end.  They are getting better at it.  They helped wrap all the cousin gifts.

Day 19 – Kindergarten Choir Program.  Ellie and her class performed at 7:30 on this night.  They sang about 8-10 short Christmas songs.  She loved the chance to perform again and did a good job.  Here she is with her classroom teacher and her music teacher. 

         

Day 20 – Deliver Goodies.  This one didn’t happen.  We were going to go with the youth group as they visited some people from church and deliver goodies.  Because of a switch in choir practice and the annual ice cream party afterwards, we had to opt out.  We’ll see if we get anywhere to deliver any later this break.

Day 21 – Cut out Christmas Cookies.  We moved this activity to my mom’s house because she is going a bit stir crazy.  The girls had fun cutting out cookies of many shapes.  The small star was a popular one; I think because they always had a tiny bit of dough left at the end.

    

Day 22 – Frost Christmas Cookies.  I am not sure if they like cutting them out or frosting them better.  I do know they were tired before they were done with them this year.  They did a great job and some of them were really creative – dripping faces and buttons on the snowmen, swirling colors.  Madison’s are on the left piece of wax paper, and Ellie’s are on the right.

 

Day 23 – Christmas with the Edigers.  I will blog on this one in a separate post.  It was a good year that started Friday night and ended Saturday night.  Fun memories for sure!

Day 24 – Attend the Christmas Eve Program.  Half of us made it.  Madison started getting a fever late Friday evening.  It continued until Sunday night.  Just something viral.  So, Jeremy stayed home with her, and Ellie and I met Grandma Yoh and Aunt Jen at church for the service.  The service was a worshipful experience, filled with a lot of different kinds of musical pieces. 

Day 25 – Merry Christmas!  (Well, I got whatever Madison had, plus some other symptoms.  Our Christmas was just a little more mellow.  And mine was fairly solitary.  Still not recovered.  My house is quiet as the rest are out celebrating with Jeremy’s extended family.)