Christmas Countdown Week 1

Here's the recap of the Christmas countdown activities we enjoyed this past week.  See the countdown explanation here.

Day 1: Decorate the house for Christmas. Here's Ry Guy helping me decorate. He loves the window clings. We had to work with him a little on leaving the clings ON the window, though. :) Believe it or not, he doesn't actually touch the Christmas tree - he won't even step on the tree skirt. I'm not sure why, we never told him that he couldn't and he doesn't act afraid of it. Anyway, it's actually a relief; I don't have to worry about him pulling the tree over or breaking ornaments. It's fun to see him "OOOOO" over the lights and pretty, glittery decorations.

Day 2: Make a starlight box. A starlight box is basically a cardboard box with holes punched in the top (I used scissors, but a flat tip screwdriver would work as well). Then, you pop the light bulbs from a strand of Christmas lights through the holes and plug in the strand I took the idea one step further and covered the mass of wires on the top of the box with an extra piece of cardboard, wired on with twisty ties.  That way, my little "Busy Bee" couldn't get curious and pull all the lights out of the holes and do who knows what with them. I also wired the side of the box to the legs of my card table to give it a little extra stability. I didn't want to worry about the box collapsing while Ry Guy was playing with it. He's not known for being gentle with things at this point.

Verdict:  Ry Guy is a fan! He actually fusses and brings me over to the box repeatedly until I plug in the lights for him. It's pretty cute.

Day 3: Sing and dance to Christmas tunes. Currently, Jingle Bells is the fave. We typically listen to Pandora through our DVD player, so Ry Guy also likes to bring me the remote while babbling something I think resembles "tunes".

Day 4: Build a snowman. Bummer, dude. The snow was too crunchy and icy to build a snowman. But, M and Ry Guy took a walk around outside in the chilly air while I was in town at a dr. appointment.

Day 5: (date!) Warm your toes in front of the fire, sip hot cider and read a book together. This was a fun date for us. Yet more proof that a date night doesn't have to mean leaving the house or spending lots of money. This one was simple, but fun. I warmed up some apple cider in a saucepan and whisked in some cinnamon and allspice.  Yummm! Then we threw some pillows and a blanket down on the floor in front of our gas fireplace and finished reading the Princess Bride together.  I just have to say, that book ends kind of abruptly, but I really enjoyed the story. Fezzik is my favorite character! I love his rhyming! And there are SOOOO many quotable lines.

Day 6: Attend the Tree Lighting ceremony downtown. I was pleasantly surprised to find our little town has quite a few activities going on this month.  We went downtown to the gazebo and watched the tree being lit and sang carols with a whole bunch of people we didn't know. That sounds a little strange to some, but we really enjoyed it. It was kind of cruddy, rainy weather. I hope it's clear weather next year so they'll have a better turnout. Ry Guy didn't seem to know what to think. He just looked around wide eyed and didn't make a peep.

Day 7: Read a Christmas story book. We actually read more than one book. I got a few books from the local library and also had "The Crippled Lamb" by Max Lucado and "Part of the Family" by William Fullington here at home in my collection.  My mom used to read "Part of the Family" to me when I was little and we always displayed the book on a shelf during the holiday season.  When I got married, Mom gave me a few special ornaments from childhood as well as the "Part of the Family" book.  I'm excited to carry on the tradition with my family: Ry Guy and I read the book together this year and I have the book displayed on a shelf in my entryway.

That wraps up week one of the Christmas Countdown (or Advent Calendar).  Check back next week for more pics and activities as the Christmas Countdown continues!