Week Forty-Eight: Countdown to Christmas

A year ago, I was apparently very ambitious.

Last night as we unpacked the Christmas stuff and set up the tree, I found all sorts of cute stuff that I bought on clearance last year, tucked away, and completely forgot about. Among those things was a bag from Michael's. I grabbed it, wondering what the heck it was. 

Stockings. Twenty-five tiny little stockings. And some ambition. I think there was some ambition shoved in there too. 

It all came back to me. I remember seeing a blog post about an adorable little advent calendar that was stockings instead of a box with little doors or whatever it usually is. I decided I *needed* that stocking garland and set out to purchase it. Of course it was from Pottery Barn or somewhere like that. Of course it was on sale for $70+. Of course. That's when I decided that I would simply buy my own tiny stockings and make my own Christmas countdown! And here we are. 

It is December first. Time to start counting down to Christmas. I don't think last year me factored in the time it would take to make the garland with the stockings. Or think of cute things to tuck inside the socks. Here is a tentative list (both material things and ideas I could write on a slip of paper) of what I'll stick inside:

• Build a snowman
• Stickers
• Bake cookies
• Read a Christmas book 
• Color a picture to send to grandparents
• "Cap-ick" {chapstick}
• Visit Bentleyville
• Make glitter play doh
• Wrap presents
• Visit Santa 
• Festive window clings

In all honesty, I think we might just tuck ideas into the weekend socks this year and the days Mike and I will be home on vacation. Next year O will have a better understanding of looking in the stocking each day, so we can fill them all then. This year it just seems like more work than fun to try to fill every one and remember to check it every day. Bah Humbug?

No, but really. I love the holiday season and I love cheesy stuff like this. I'm excited that the stockings are at least hung! They look so festive! I just need to hang something above them so they aren't so lonely, and create and attach the numbers to the socks. My plan is to cut scalloped edge circles out of flannel or felt and write numbers on the circles with fabric markers, then glue the circles onto the stockings. 

Do you do a Christmas countdown with your toddler or big kid? What kinds of things do you do? 

-H