The first being the beginning of the Advent Calendar.
The second, being the start of my December Daily album.
I have always loved an Advent Calendar and don't think I have ever had a Christmas without one.
Each year I try something new, searching for the perfect one.
I have had the paper calendars where you lift a flap and there's a picture underneath. Those remind me of my childhood.
The others have a little chocolate inside.
Then when I had kids of my own I bought beautiful cloth calendars with tiny pockets to hide a treat, and could be used over and over as the years passed.
Last year I bought a paper house Advent kit from Martha Stewart in which the treats were hidden behind tiny flaps all over little house.
With a few arguments and some tears, the boys assembled the houses themselves and I filled them with candy once they had gone to bed.
This year darling hubby found hockey advent calendars for the boys, and even though I told him I was making a special Advent Calendar, he bought them anyway.
After all, they were $1.69 and filled with hockey shaped chocolate. Sure to be a hit!
All that aside I still continued upon my quest for something new.
I decided to go completely different and make little envelopes to hang from my mantel.
Each envelope contains a little task for the boys to do each day, no chocolate, just fun things to help build their memories of Christmas.
Today was Day 1.
It began at 6am.
Ciaran woke up and said to me "its December, it's December" "We get to do the envelopes now".
So there would be NO ARGUMENTS as to who opened the first one, we agreed to flip a coin.
The boys were in full agreement to allow chance to play a part.
Ciaran won the coin toss.
It will be Connor's turn tomorrow.
Today's task is to plant Paperwhites and Amaryllis bulbs.
I thought this would be fun for the boys to get their fingers dirty and watch the bulbs grow into something beautiful.
What do I know!
The sweet words out of my darling Ciaran's little angel lips were, "that sounds boring".
Yes, I know I spent countless hours making handmade envelopes, printing Ali's Advent Boxes, filling out each card making sure there are no conflicts in our schedule so we can actually do the tasks, placing each in the appropriately numbered envelope, looking high and low for my stocking hooks to hang the ribbon from the mantel, cutting the ribbon ( too short), cutting the ribbon (too short, again), hanging the envelopes one by one, distributing the weight of the envelopes accordingly so they don't bring my stocking hooks crashing to the floor, standing back and finally admiring the fruits of my labor and loving the way it turned out......
All for my little darling, angel, sweetheart of a 5 year old say to me.......
that sounds boring!!!
Yes, folks there you have it......you want to start your holiday season with lots of good cheer?
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Buy the $1.69 Advent Calendar......Amen!
ROFL!!! I know, chocolates are the best, just ask my children.
ReplyDeleteJust the other day, I think it was last weekend, I tried to explain to Ivo why I spend so much time taking photos, then uploading them to my Daily photos album and the whole meaning of documenting our life day by day. I think he still didn't get it. BUT we (artists) we understand to each other, right?! Your envelopes are beautiful, Carla!!