24 Days of Christmas

I didn't make this. But it's super cute. So let's pretend I did...

A few years ago, I tried to do an Advent Calendar. I got as far as making the calendar - then completely forgot about it until about December 19th. This year I'd like to do something special every day for the 24 days before Christmas. I've been thinking a lot about this and have come up with some requirements for this adventure:

1. It has to be free or very cheap.  I'm willing to spend a little money on a few things, but with everything else sucking the money out of our household right now - we really don't need any extra expenses!

2. It has to be Christmas-related.  I started singing "Away in a Manger" to Riley the other day and he had no idea what I was talking about. Yikes. He goes to a Christian preschool and we've started regularly attending a church - but I can't expect other people to teach my kids about the true meaning of Christmas. I'd like to cover the whole gamut...the birth of Jesus, the importance of giving and thinking of others, and all the fun commercialized stuff too.

3. It has to be FUN. For both me and the kids. I adore my kids, but let's face it, they have the attention spans of squirrels on meth. And there are plenty of things I do everyday that are not so fun. So I'm thinking of short, fun things that we'll all enjoy.

I'm hoping some of these activities will really stick and become new traditions for my little family. Watch for the start of the 24 Days of Christmas soon - and join in with us!

Do you have any traditions you love? Any traditions you'd like to start with your family? What do you look forward to the most during this season?