The Twelve Days of Christmas

Some traditions are worth keeping around. We have tried a lot of fun Christmas ideas from year to year, and some have been worth the effort while others have left me frazzled. This idea is one I think we will keep around for awhile. It was such a big hit last year and I actually have no choice but to recreate it again this year (the boys are already geared up)! My friend came up with this sweet little idea of surprising each of her family members with a fun treat each of the twelve days leading up to Christmas. She did kind of a cute/romantic version for her husband and then conjured up some fun surprises to share with her kids too.
Last year, the boys and I hung up red stockings in their bedroom and each night (while they slept) I would drop the contents of their next day's surprise down inside. I used cute little note cards to write the messages that went along with their gifts and I enjoyed listening to their little squeals and giggles each morning as they retrieved their new prize. Of course, I kept the contents of each day's gift very simple and inexpensive. The joy came from the COUNTDOWN and the messages really. The boys LOVED it! I had a blast coming up with ideas for each of the twelve days. Wouldn't ya know, I did not type the list on my computer. I must've just jotted it down in one of my zillions of notebooks, so now that I am trying to share this fun activity with the world, I really can't remember much of what I did! At first, I wanted to the messages to rhyme (like the song does) but, I realized I am not THAT above and beyond in the creativity area. So, I just tried to mix fun activities with treats here and there. Since the TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS officially begins on Saturday, I am trying to get my supplies gathered and remember what I did, but also change it up a bit. Here is what I can remember from last year:

Twelve Days of Christmas:

*On the 1st day of Christmas my mommy gave to me:

A fun new Christmas DVD!

*On the 2nd day of Christmas my mommy gave to me:

2 new gloves!

*On the 3rd day of Christmas my mommy gave to me:

3 new books to read!

*On the 4th day of Christmas my mommy gave to me:

Four yummy Cuties!


*On the 5th day of Christmas my mommy gave to me:

FIVE Golden Spoons (you can invite one friend each to enjoy ice cream with us at the Golden Spoon)!

*On the 6th day of Christmas my mommy gave to me:

Six Shiny Quarters (to spend at the arcade or toy machine of your choice)!

*On the 7th day of Christmas my mommy gave to me:

Seven Chocolate Kisses

*On the 8th day of Christmas my mommy gave to me:
8 Mini Milky Way Bars

 

 

*On the 9th day of Christmas my mommy gave to me:
9 Cinnamon Teddy Bears

 

*On the 10th day of Christmas my mommy gave to me:

10 tiny candy canes


*On the 11th day of Christmas my mommy gave to me:

11 new songs to sing (this new CD has eleven songs)

*On the 12th day of Christmas my mommy gave to me:
A dozen cookies to decorate and eat (save some for Santa)!

 

 

Sometimes the gifts were shared items (the movie, the CD, the spoons and the dozen cookies). When this was the case, I just set the item down on the shelf in front of the stockings and tucked an individual message down inside their stockings. I do remember keeping the little notes (they were too cute to throw out) but I haven't the time right now to try and figure out where I stashed them. From now on, I will DEFINITELY type up EXACTLY what we did. I know that last year's CD was the High School Musical 2 one and the movie was A Charlie Brown Christmas. Lewis invited his buddy Luke and Conner brought his pal Kaleb for the ice-cream trip. We also ended up going to Cold Stone Creamery instead of driving clear across town to the Golden Spoon. Anyway, at least the "bones" of what I did is now officially recorded and I can expand and change it up to meet the needs of our boy's tastes and personalities.

In addition to this fun family Twelve Days of Christmas, we have also decided to "adopt" a family this year and do the traditional twelve days with them. I am excited about that too. There is just something about counting down the twelve days of Christmas. It is a tradition I love and although I can't believe it is right around the corner- (you still have a couple of days to "gear up" if you want to take on this fun tradition too!) I am looking forward to all the excitement each new day will bring!