Digital Reflections: Daily December

It is a wonderful and magical time of year and I hope to celebrate a little each day and carry on our traditions of old and start some new ones. I plan to document all of it with my Daily December. If you have been around the scrapbooking world a while you know that this is an album created as you go through the month of December, paying attention to the details of your days, traditions and events. You can see more about it at Ali Edwards blog. And you can look through the gallery at Designer Digitals so you can see what others are doing to remember this time of year. One of the things I love that this project has done for our family is given us time to reflect on what is important during the holiday season. Christmas is a magical time and one filled with traditions and lots of activities. So in addition to keeping up with our activities and daily life through our family scrapbook this year, I am going to be documenting our crafts, activities, etc. here on the blog.

December 1st

Advent Calendars around the globe turn into treat giving countdowns and my kids, like most, enjoy that little treat. And I have to say that having 4 kids and 1 advent house means that there is a great deal of patience to have a turn in drawing out that goodie in the early evenings. It has already worked magic in my house, for the first time in years my 6 year old went to bed without a hassle, without a complaint and without a dozen trips out of bed for a myriad of reasons, she simply stated she wanted todays chocolate and she would be the first to sleep so she could get it. Sure enough she was fast asleep while the others were still being tucked in and prayed for. Have to say, I do love a little Christmas magic now and again.

Here are some ideas for advent calendars/countdowns to christmas...

Martha Stewarts Advent Boxes (click the title to go see the images)

Ali Edward's Advent Boxes I love the color scheme and sizes and we are making an advent

wall like she has shown here, in addition to our advent house, and in these boxes are our

blessings. On December 1st I have the kids all write a list of who they want to

bless during the Christmas season. Last year we used our own giving tree,

but this year I had them write them out and we will fill the boxes and each morning

someone will open the box and we will decide how we can bless that person.

Here is another photo on flickr. I search flickr for photos and ideas all the time.

Ideas for blessings:

Make them cookies

Make and deliver them a card

Make then a book of inspirational sayings

Buy them a small gift

Rake someones leaves

Make them an ornament

Buy someone groceries

Take Hot Cocoa to someone working in the cold (we plan to deliver hot cocoa to the carpool teachers)

Pay for someones meal (my kids love when I pay for the car behind me at Starbucks or McD's)

--More ideas to come, feel free to add to our list.

Here are the cards I made for the kids to fill out: (I used Cathy Zileske and Mindy Teressawa's products from designerdigitals.)

December 2nd

Crafty Time and Special Snacks

Today after school we bought some craft supplies and came home to enjoy hot cocoa and Smores. I think making after school time a little more special during this time of year helps carry the spirit of the season through out the day. I have been putting little notes in the kids lunch boxes too.