Deep Rolling Right Field: Countdown to Christmas

In the spirit of keepin it real around here...
I blogged a bit about my "December funk".
I did still LOVE the idea of counting down to Christmas with our little family. Taking time to remember and cherish the season of celebration. Honoring our Savior. and savoring the family he has given us, both immediate and extended.
But ya'll DECEMBER was nutso. SO very busy. So not all of the days got their just-due. Some were quite half-hearted. But that's the great thing about doing this countdown thing intentionally, even when you don't "feel" like it. Memories are still made, love still extended and hope still REIGNS. That's what Christmas is all about.
insert how it is now March and I'm just now getting around to wrapping up the post about our Christmas countdown as an indicator of how we rolled at the end of 2012.

Here's a super quick recap (ha- when have you ever known me to do anything quick in deeprollingrightfield? ha.)

I decided to scrap the idea of making our own Christmas tree. I mean, I loved last year's green Taj Mahal and all, but seriously, what was I thinking? Instead, we had die-cut Christmas lights to hang. They started out all white but "turned on" one at a time, all month, for a fun multi colored decoration in our dining room.

1) Get new PJs and wear them to visit Santa.

Score on this one, since my workplace happened to be doing free visits and pictures with Santa that day!

2) Read a Christmas book before bed

3) Skype with cousins and sing Christmas carols

4) Go on a Surprise Outing with friends.

(I wonder how many years in a row our "surprise outing" can be going to GWL for story time...before they catch on?)

5) Visit the Firestation and deliver Toys for Tots.

Cbug especially LOVED the added bonus of getting a "tour" of the firetruck. On the way home Cbug declared "I want to be a firetruck driver when I grow up." and KJ decided "Nah, I'd rather be the guy in charge who rides up front and tells people where to drive". Lou said she wasn't interested at all. As you can tell from the photo, she kept a safe distance at all times.

6) Invite friends over to make S'mores!

What a treat! We made smores over our gas stove with Grammy, J&J. So fun!

7) Make Christmas things out of Playdough

8) Decorate Christmas cookies

Lucked out again, since Aunt J bought the kids gingerbread men when we went to visit here, and all the Aunts and Uncles helped the kids decorate them.

9) J&J proposal day!

Although we had somehting else planned for our Christmas activity, when Uncle J asked us to help with his amazing proposal, we jumped at the chance. It was so perfect! So perfect, in fact, it was featured in the Dallas Morning News...not just once BUT TWICE (a second time as one of the year's best pictures). We were just the "sign holders" but we were thrilled to be there.

10) Make a basket of Christmas FUN to deliver to a friend.

Second year in a row to get zero pictures of this favorite activity. The kids loved going shopping for Christmas stickers, candy, pencils, games, etc to put in a basket and take to a friend.

11) Christmas music dance party

12) WE ARE HALF WAY THERE!

Sing Christmas songs from the top of the playscape

because what could be a better way to celebrate being half way to Christmas. Either that or their parents ran out of time for any other activity before church. Either way.

13) Drink hot chocolate before bed.

14) Christmas movie night in Mommy and Daddy's room

15) Bake Treats for neighbors, teachers and friends.

Already blogged a bit about this, but the best part was when I had to borrow a cup of milk from a neighbor...for whom I was baking. I had all 4 kids baking with me and realized I was out of milk. Genius!

16) Buy food for the food bank. Deliver and help sort/shelf it.

17) Help Daddy with the TeenLifeline Christmas party.

18) Christmas caroling with friends. Visit some ministers and elders from our church.

This was extra fun because we got to share the evening with some of our favorite friends! And we found out that night that their baby #3 was on the way! HOORAY! Love watching these four friends (and one curly headed baby friend who sometimes joined in) show how much they appreciate people at their church.

19 and 20) Tell the story of Christmas

ok, we were traveling so these really happened over a few days time, but I love these videos. I posted them seperately so you could enjoy the videos! Oh my, we'll be working on some of the facts before next Christmas.

21) Ornament hide and find

Just as simple as it sounds. Take ornaments off the tree and take turns hiding and finding them. Always a winner at our house!

22) Buy sibling Christmas presents

I love this tradition we started last year of drawing names and then going shopping together for the "sibling gifts"

23) Make an acrostic using "CHRISTMAS"

favorite part of this activity this year was that we read "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" on our roadtrip and from that moment on, all 3 kiddos worked really hard to find a way to include Gladys exclamation "HEY, UNTO YOU A CHILD IS BORN" into all conversations about the meaning of Christmas. Check out this year's "S".