Christ Centered Advent activites

Here are several ideas for daily activities to do as a countdown for Christmas. I write these on little pieces of paper and place one daily in our little Christmas socks that hang on the mantel. I mix in some just plain fun ideas as well. Just choose the ones that suit you and your family.
(The links included in this list will connect you with the specific post on this blog with more details for that idea)

• Make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Happy Birthday!
• Make thank you notes to use after Christmas
• Learn a Christmas hymn to sing as a famil
• Play the wise man game
• Introduce the baby Jesus secret service in your home
• Read an uplifting Christmas classic like "A Christmas Carol" together as a family
• Make pita bread and read bread of life scripture
• Read a Christmas story from the Friend or Ensign
• Write down on paper, roll up and tie with a bow a gift you are going to give to the Savior this year
• Cut general shapes and many colored pieces of felt to make a flannel board nativity and leave it out for children to retell story
• Make simple costumes to act out the nativity story
• Act out nativity story while someone read from Bible
• Write letters and make cards to send to loved ones far away
• Make cookies together and secretly leave at someone's doorstep
• Make bread to deliver to neighbors or shut-ins with a tag that has the bread of life scripture
• Color or paint a picture of the shepherds
• Color or paint a nativity scene and hang it in your home
• Watch an uplifting Christmas dvd together
• Watch Luke 2 video while listening to "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant
• Have a "white" Christmas--attend the Temple
• Go shopping together for sub for santa or angel tree gifts
• Donate good quality used books to your public library
• Help children clean out toys and donate good used ones to charity
• Make dinner for a shut in
• Help children write a story about being there at the manger on Christmas night
• Write a note to a missionary
• Have a Bethlehem dinner
• Tell story of the miracle of loaves and fishes. Sit on blanket and eat fish sticks, or fish crackers and bread and talk about miracles Christ performed
• Have a family Christmas music night, sing together, play instruments, get kazoos so everyone can participate
• Attend a live nativity together
• Listen to Handel's Messiah and learn story behind music
• Make a Christmas advent candle, and read a Christ related scripture each night as candle burns
• Wrap meaningful and uplifting Christmas books and open one each day and read together
• Collect uplifting Christmas stories and compile in a binder to read as a family each day
• Collect or make from paper symbols of Christmas and teach children the meaning. They could draw one from a gift bag and tell how it reminds them of Christ
• Go for a night time winter walk and enjoy the beautiful stars and talk about the special star that appeared at Christ's birth
• Make star shaped sugar cookies, make a tag with scripture that tells of signs at birth of Christ and share with someone
• Make nativity Christmas cards to send
• Make handprints of children, cut out and print"I will have helping hands for Jesus"
• Determine a need and perform a service anonymously
• Forgive and make amends with someone