Grammy on the Go
By Karen Shadrach
As soon as December 1st arrives, the countdown to Christmas begins. Have fun creating an Advent calendar together with your grandkids as they track the days from December 1-25.
The first known Advent calendars were made in the 19th century by German Lutherans. They would mark the days leading up to Christmas using chalk lines on walls or doorways. Sometimes, they would also daily light small candles or place straws in a Nativity crib.
There are many options to keep track of the days of this season.
Advent wreaths can be made to keep track of each passing week before Christmas Day. You and your grandchildren can prepare a wreath together using greenery or straw and attach decorations around it, such as bows, flowers or berries. Four candles are placed around the wreath, and sometimes one in the middle to designate December 25th. Usually beginning the weekend following Thanksgiving, the wreath marks the 4 weeks of Advent and one additional candle is lit each Sunday. Candles usually designate faith, hope, love and peace and how Jesus brought each of these into the world.
There are many daily advent calendars to purchase. Most have a Christmas scene with little windows to open each day. Inside the windows can be small ornaments to hang on a tree, or can be filled with small toys or chocolates.
Our kids love making simple chains for the tree using different colors of construction paper. These rings are easy for the grandkids to make and they love removing one chain per day. It also gives them a more visual account to see the length of time left before Christmas Day. We number each chain 1-25, plus add a short Bible verse to be read upon removal. You could also write acts of kindness to perform each day.
Another fun option is to purchase empty Advent boxes. These are simple to fold and then you can fill with little toys or candies. The boxes can then be hung as ornaments or placed in a train village. A plus is that once filled and emptied, these boxes can be used again the following year.
Flannel calendars with pockets are popular. Fill each numbered pocket with a daily surprise. You can cut out and hang a large green flannel Christmas tree and have the children decorate with one felt ornament each day, filing up the tree until the 25th, when they place a star on top or a Nativity scene underneath for completion.
Create a December calendar, or use one from a large pre-printed calendar and let the children color in each days block with a seasonal picture or a Christmas sticker. The calendar can be filled in with notes for acts of kindness or activity ideas such as decorate the tree, bake cookies, watch a Christmas movie or learn to sing a new Christmas carol.
Lastly, another way to mark the time before Christmas Day is to have the Elf on the Shelf visit the grandkids. This Elf watches over them and, supposedly, reports back to Santa their wishes and good or bad actions that he is observing. The Elf moves each day to a new location within the house and the kids love looking for him every morning! Good Housekeeping online lists 85 easy Elf on the Shelf ideas for funny and naughty elves. After December 25, the Elf goes back to the North Pole to help Santa and returns next year.
December is certainly a very exciting time for the little ones. Have fun helping them mark time and creating a tradition during this season.
Photos by Karen Shadrach
