Weekend Creative | Advent Action Cards
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I'm a big fan of Advent calendars.
Many of you have seen the Advent boxes I made back in 2007 (inspired by Martha). I'm currently looking for new place to hang them in our house. Last year we also had a LEGO® City Advent Calendar
The little something else for 2010 are hand-drawn Advent cards with specific actions to be taken each day.
Here's a video that shows you what I did and talks a bit more about the project.
Ali Edwards | Advent Action Cards from Ali Edwards on Vimeo.
Here's the how-to for this project:
Purchase and download the Advent Boxes digital kit. For convenience and simplicity I've included a red, green, brown, and black PDF file included with the package. Just download, open + print.
Print the PDF file(s) of your choice. I printed on photo paper (currently using Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl). I printed both the red and the brown to have a mix of the two. The digital package also includes each frame individually if you wanted to do something like add the frames to photos.
Adhere pattern paper to the back of the 8.5x11 sheet of paper. For this step I used Xyron's Creatopia machine. They are a sponsor here on my blog and sent me a machine to test out. The pattern papers I used are: "Tiri" from 3ndypapir.no (really lovely papers from Norway), Bo Bunny Wild Berry Red Dot, and Anna Griffin Christmas Cardstock Pack (used this for the inside cover pages of my December Daily).
Cut out or punch with a square punch. I used this 2.5 inch square punch from Marvy (they list it as 3.5 inches but that's the diagonal measurement).
Add a number sticker or embellishment on the back if you want them to be numbered. Letter stickers and embellishments shown in the video include: American Crafts Foam Subway Cherry, Jenni Bowlin Vintage Christmas Chipboard Buttons, Banana Fish Studio Milk Caps.
Hand-write your daily actions. I used a Precision Pen from American Crafts. See my daily action suggestions below.
Add to your Advent Boxes, pocket calendar, tree branches, or just have them in a bowl on your table.
At the end of each day these little cards could be added to your December Daily.
ENCOURAGING OUR KIDS TO LOOK BEYOND THEMSELVES
For each of the daily sentiments I wanted to head in the direction of answering this question: what things that can help our kids look beyond themselves and celebrate the season. That was my initial focus.
I want words that require action. I want activities that are developmentally appropriate. I want things that are fun. I want activities that invoke the spirit of the season. I also want to include a few fun traditions like looking at lights while drinking hot cocoa, getting our tree and visiting Santa.
I like the idea that these cards can act as a road map for the season. I like that each day Simon (with a little help from Anna) can pick out a card and it can steer us in a specific direction for the afternoon or evening.
Here's what I've come up with so far (I'd love to read your suggestions and ideas in the comments section):
Tell a friend at school you think they're really cool.
Take a special treat to a neighbor.
Pick a name from the giving tree. Find a gift for that person.
Make a small stocking. Drop it off on someone's door as a surprise.
Make a card for a loved one and send it in the mail.
Recycle some toys to share with others.
Read a Christmas book to your sister.
Light a candle and say a prayer for a loved one far away.
Take food to a local food pantry.
Take a trip to get the Christmas Tree.
Go see Santa.
Go look at Christmas lights & drink hot cocoa.
Make thank you notes before they are needed.
Write a list of 10 things you are thankful for this year. Share with your Grandma
ANOTHER COOL IDEA
Doris, one of the super creative members of the Designer Digitals team, used the PNG files on top of photos to create this set of Advent cards that she'll be hanging on some branches in her home. She originally emailed asking me to make some more hand-drawn Christmas boxes where the words were farther down on the box - leaving room for a cute face. Thanks for the inspiration Doris!
I hope you all have a great weekend!
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143 comments
I love this!!!! Although my children are grown and moms themselves, we continue the Advent caledar with our grandchildren at Beedee & Papa's (that's us). We'll add: make a special card for their teachers; walk the neighbor's dog so she does not need to go out in the cold; take grandma-mary for a walk and look at holiday lights; and these types of things. We live in Florida and can do many service projects together. Love the inspiration once again, Ali!!!
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What about Bake Cookies!!!!!
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Awesome idea Ali!! And great video tutorial!
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Bring a plate of goodies to your local fire station or police station with a thank you note. Also, most of them are doing toy drives so maybe a gift for their giving tree.
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That's a great addition - I can see Simon getting into that one.
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We have several family traditions, but one that has become a favorite over the past several years. Quite a few years ago, I was talking with some military personnel and they had mentioned that most deployed soldiers never receive anything from home. That comment saddened me and so when Christmastime came around, our family went and picked out 5 Santa hats and filled them with all kinds of goodies and shipped them overseas. (A few times we have received a thank you note back from the soldier and a couple included a picture of themselves wearing the hat--so much fun.) We will definately be doing this again this year, but will be sending 7 since I have two brothers who are deployed this holiday season. Thanks, Ali, for the inspiration to get started already. Have a great weekend.
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Love this idea too. Where did you find names/addresses to send them to?
I'd like more info on this too Erin -
I'd love information on how to send this to them. I have a girl scout troop and this is something they would love to do.
Your local base chaplain's office should be able to help you.
If any of you are interested in working for a service project that touches the lives of our soldiers, please check out Project Rudolph (I'll attach the link). The group still needs thousands of handwritten cards from adults to place in the Christmas bags they hand to soldiers en route to war during the month of December.
http://projectrudolph.org/index.html
Hi ladies- If you visit "Adopt a Platoon", they're a wonderful non-profit that will work to match you with either a soldier to support monthly or a one time assistance for the holidays, or other campaign- they run them all the time. I've sent school supplies to a base working to improve relations by offering them to the children, DVDs to troops and the Stockings from Santa of course. Last year, my church sent over 86 stockings and we always have at least one soldier to support year-round when my husband is home. There are security reasons why they can't just post names/locations of troops seeking support, but they can provide you information if you request it. Thank you for remembering our military!
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I love these ideas, since this is the first year that not all of my kids will be home for Christmas (DD moved to Boston with Hubby to be a resident--and new residents NEVER get Christmas off) I think the idea of making them with pictures of my girls over the years would be great. May make me cry but will probably do that anyways!
The servicemen cards are a great idea too!
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I love this so much! I have never done Advent calandar and will attempt to make one this year just because this is exactly what I needed to bring the true meaning of christmas into our home.
Some idea I got from reading your article and the comments
- read bible passage related to the birth of Jesus
- Do a gift exchange game with friends (a game where you all bring a gift under $10-20 and then hand out numbers. 1-10, number 1 starts, and as the game progress you can take the opened gifts or open a wrapped gift) So much fun, we do it every year with my husband's family.
-Visit a church you do not usually attend
-watch Charlie Brown Christmas
-Read about other December holiadys (Haunakah, Kwankah)
-Make a ginger bread house
-Take dozens of cookies to a local retirement community
-Create a Christmas tree out of legos
Love your ideas Ali, you are always so inspiring!
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These are great ideas, and I love the twist to the advent calender! Will be doing something along this line I think this year! x
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Love your ideas ~ thanks for sharing! I read through most (but not all!) of the other ideas and they are all terrific. One thing we do is a prayer walk around our neighborhood. It's such a honor and a blessing to pray for those around us!
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I was just talking to my kids tonight about how they have so much to be thankful for...and how there are sooo many children who are less fortunate. I think this would be perfect for them!! Some ideas that I have are...visiting a nursing home and sing Christmas caroles, have a bake sale or garage sale and donate the money to ASPCA or your local shelter, donate out grown clothes and jackets to a local foster home or orphange. I can't wait to get this started!! Thank you Ali....you are such an inspiration!!!
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make a bird a treat out of a pine cone, pnut butter and birdseed!
love the idea!
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I think Simon would like this idea...and I like that we can talk about doing something nice for animals.
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make a special bookmark for your favorite storybook
give your favorite neighborhood pet a christmas present
sing a song outside at night to a shining star and remember loved ones who are no longer here to celebrate with us.
write a love note and put in under the pillow of someone in the family
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I ordered a little advent calendar kit yesterday from sweetwaterscrapbook on etsy. They are little fabric pouches with iron-on numbers. All hang on a rope. I thought they were super cute and look fairly easy to sew. Then I saw your idea and knew what I would put inside the pouches! Along with a little treat on some days.
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This is great Ali. You could go to a retirement home with cookies and sing carols to he elderly (this would probably be easier with a large group of people)...
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I'm really looking forward to an advent calendar this year. Previously I've tucked little notes and/or treats into tiny socks pegged to some ribbon. I'm also determined to get my son that Lego advent one year. I've finally found it for sale in Australia. He's a little too young at the moment, but my hubby sure would love it!!
A couple of ideas (suitable for a 2 year old):
- turn up the Christmas music & dance (I got this from a comment on your December Daily post)
- wrap gifts (sometimes it can be a quick process, might be fun to enjoy it more)
- watch snow fall (our Christmas is in summer so as dorky as this is I'm hoping we can do this on YouTube!!)
- ice Christmas cookies
- make a Christmas card for Daddy's lunchbox
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Just watched the video and have an idea more specific to Simon. Maybe one day he could think of his own act of kindness. Complete it himself and then tell you in the evening what the act was and how he went about completing it. Maybe you could call it "My Secret Act of Kindness".
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That's a really great idea Brooke - thank you.
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what a beautiful idea!!
Something I think is lovely and really in the spirit of Christmas is for kids to offer toys that they haven't used all year (or much of the year) to homeless or donate to charity. I think given that we receive SO much at Christmas, it's lovely to have our children offer something up too to someone with nothing.
What about helping to bake cookies or some kind of Christmas cake/food and take it to a homeless shelter/soup kitchen ON christmas morning/christmas eve? (With mum and dad of course!)
Another idea is to ask your child, if you couldn't get any presents on Christmas, what would make it just as wonderful? (To help move them away from the physical aspect of receiving and think of more emotional/family-oriented terms)
can't wait to bring this into my home this Christmas!!
thanks so much for the inspiration!
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Ali I love these videos you are doing! I really like this idea- I'm looking forward to doing these with my daughter. We are always trying to teach her about giving to others, especially during the Holidays
Some of the ideas I think I might include:
-Go to the library to pick out a new Christmas story to read
-Go on our annual shopping trip to buy presents for Adopt a Family
-Make a Christmas present/craft for your sister
-Go sledding
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Go to your local library and pick out some new holiday books to read.
Create cards/jokes for kids. You could take a next year calendar and write days to send, so they don't just get them through the holiday season.
create a gift for your teacher together
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This is so cool. I just made a flip advent calendar with activities. Some activities are decorate the house day 1 and day 2 decorate the tree. Sing Christmas carols by candle light around the fireplace, have hot cocoa for breakfast, wrap presents for the outreach program, and sort food for the outreach program (a program for county residents that may be having a hard time), bake for neighbors (homebound), make ornaments for patients in the hospital, and go to lighted Christmas parade. These are just a few. Reading the comments there are some things I forgot that we normally do. Loved this post.
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