Our Advent Calendar

Last year, I found a couple of really cute stockings at Goodwill, and I started to realize just how much I adore stockings. I decided then and there that I would collect stockings. They are inexpensive, and not breakable. While I started collecting stockings, I was also looking for an easy way to make an advent calendar that was both big enough to stash treats for 3 kids, but small enough to pack away easily.

At some point, I realized that mini stockings would work out great. I waited until the holidays passed by, and stopped in to Dollar Tree. I found 2-packs of mini stockings for $.50 each, and bought up 12 matching packs. First I considered getting 4 packs each of 3 designs, but they were sold out of most of the designs, so I was unable to find an equal amount of any 3 designs. Instead, I wound up with 24 mini stockings in my favorite design last year.


When we unpacked the Christmas boxes yesterday, I found them all stashed away, just waiting for me. I dug them out, and spent about 15 minutes last night putting numbers on each of the stockings in glitter glue. It took all night for the glitter to dry, but now they are ready to go.

To hang them, I strung a wide 2" red grosgrain ribbon across my kitchen archway, which is pretty wide. I added a tack to the middle, so the ribbon won't get too weighed down, then used clothing pins to clip the stockings to the ribbon.


Now I'm just trying to decide- do I want to clip them up one day at a time, or remove them one day at a time? Hmm.... I also have to write up some activities to insert into the stockings, and get treats out for them. I picked up some candy on clearance after Halloween to use in the stockings.


Here are some of the different things I'll use to fill the stockings.

Holiday Pencils- I tried to glue a bell to the end of them, but the glue doesn't stick to erasers. Instead, I wrapped a tiny bow around the ends of the pencils.

Family Puzzle Night- I'll put a few puzzle pieces into the stocking, with a note to save them for the puzzle night. I can use this 2-3 times, before having a puzzle night scheduled for a weekend.

Mini Ornaments- The kids have a small tree we'll set up in their family room upstairs. On the day when we get it out, they will have 1 ornament each in the stocking to hang on the tree.

Hot Cocoa- the kids love hot cocoa, so I'll put together some baggies of cocoa & mini marshmallows for 1-2 of the stockings.

A Christmas Light- I'll have a lightbulb in one of the later stockings, for the night we're going to drive around looking at lights.

Movie Night- I will put a small baggie of popcorn in the stocking, for a night when we'll have a family movie night with a holiday movie. I will try to do this one twice as well.

A Cookie Cutter- for a day when we make holiday cookies, I'll include a cookie cutter in the stocking.

A photo of Santa- for the day when we go to visit Santa

And remember- I'd love to see any projects you make from my ideas!

Heather

Homemade Christmas Treats: Stocking Stuffers!

As a mom with 3 kids, I know well how to stuff a stocking. Stockings are one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I love them so much, in fact, that last year, I decided to start collecting them. I hung them all over the living room. This year, I plan to dig out some suction cups, and hang a stocking of some sort in every main room window.

One thing I've been interested in, though, is making stocking stuffer treats from scratch. Something the kids will enjoy, and that doesn't come from the store. In my extensive blog, forum, and website browsing, I've come across a few interesting ideas.

Now... to limit myself to just a few, so I'm not fattening the kids up for 2010!

Fast & East Peppermint Marshmallow Kabobs- These are simple to make, and sound great. I know my kids and Nick will love these! Skewer mini-marshmallows on a wooden kabob stick (found in big packs at any department store for around $2), then cover them in melted chocolate, and sprinkle with crushed candy canes! Freeze immediatly so the marshmallows don't melt. Wrap individually, tie with a bow, and pop them into the stockings!

You'll Need:
Mini Marshmallows
Wooden Skewers
Meltable Chocolate (baking chips work)
Peppermint candies or candy canes
Cello bags
Ribbon

Candy Bar Snowman- So simple & easy, though the treat isn't homemade. The idea shows it using a Hershey's bar, but I think this would be cute with other candy bars, as well, such as a Twix bar. Wrap a candy bar with white paper, and add a cheery snowman face. Add a fleece scrap for a scarf, and make a tiny hat out of fleece scraps. These would take a bit more time with the small amount of sewing, but would be just adorable!

You'll need:
1 Candy Bar per person
Fleece Scraps
Markers
Sewing Machine


Rice Krispie Treat Pops- Simple & cute, and of course, easy to make! Make the treats according to the directions, then cut into squares. Add a popsicle stick to them, and dip them into melted chocolate. Add sprinkles to the top, then wrap in cello bags, and tie with a ribbon!

You'll Need:
Rice Krispies or Generic cereal
Marshmallows
Butter
Popsicle sticks
Meltable Chocolate
Sprinkles
Cello bags
Ribbon

Snowmen on a Stick- This is one a friend of mine on Gather did last year, which I thought was adorable! I even helped by giving her an idea on what to use for the scarves (fruit by the foot!). The link also gives other ideas on what she made to put into stockings. The article does not give instructions, so they are listed below the ingredients.

You'll Need:
Large Marshmallows
York Peppermint Patties
Reeses Bell's (These are a Holiday specialty- bell shaped Reese's cups)
Black piping frosting, thin- not gel!
Orange piping frosting, thin- not gel!
(The gel melts and runs)
Wooden skewers
Cello bag
Ribbon

What To Do:

Skewer 3 large marshmallows, leaving about half an inch of space on top. Skewer 1 Peppermint patty on top of the marshmallow, and pipe a tiny bit of frosting to the top, to help 'glue' the Reese's bell to the patty. Skewer the bell into place, making sure not to poke it out of the top of the bell.

Using Fruit by the Foot, cut a length off, and cut the edges to fringe, then wrap it around the 'neck' of the snowman, and knot it into place if you are able.

Lastly, pipe the arms, buttons, and face onto the snowman. Wrap in cello & tie with a ribbon!

Christmas Candy Train- Perfect for the little train lovers in your family! These have been around for a long time, and are pretty easy to make. If you would like, you can wrap the longer pieces in construction paper to hide the logo's and candy wrappers. Keep all candy wrapped up! Using just a small dab of hot glue, you can glue these into place without melting the wrappers, or having glue seep into the candies.

You'll Need:
1 package of stick gum, small, such as Juicy Fruit or Big Red. No Plen-T-Packs!
1 roll of live savers or breath savers
1 Hershey's kiss
1 wrapped Caramel
4 Round hard candies, wrapped
Glue

I hope you enjoyed these Christmas candy treats, and hope you'll share any ideas you have made in the past or for this year, as well! Comments are loved & appreciated!

Counting Down

My Grandma collected snowmen at Christmas for as long as I could remember. She had a massive collection that encompassed decorating a huge house. She had a Christmas tree that was decorated only in snowmen. There were walls of just shelves filled with snowmen. Snowmen could be found in bathrooms, on the sofa, in the windows, outdoors, and more. She loved her snowmen.

Over the years, I've picked some up, and inherited several of Grandma's snowmen as well. However, last year, I finally settled on something I want to collect at Christmas time that takes up less space, and won't break- stockings. I love stockings! They're so cute, and fun, and the designs are endless.

One thing I've been trying to do for years is find an advent calendar that was reusable, and big enough to fit a small treat in it for 3 kids. It's harder than it sounds!

Last year, I finally figured it out- stockings! After Christmas, when Dollar Tree had their items 50% off, I picked up 12 2-packs of mini stockings for only $.50 each. This year, I plan to string them up along our large archway, and number each stocking.

At night, after the kids are in bed, I'll fill the next day's stocking with some small treat. They can count down to Christmas, get a small treat, and I get to indulge my love of stockings.

I was reading Family Fun tonight, and came across the same idea, only using colorful children's socks in place of stockings, and hanging the sock up each day one at a time. It included a list of ideas for what to fill the stockings with that I really liked.

Here are the ideas it listed:

• Special Coupons: Get Out of Chores Free, or Pick A Movie Rental, for instance.
• Puzzle pieces to a Holiday puzzle- the pieces are collected, and put together through out the month.
• Trading Cards
• Special coins- foreign coins, for instance, or even chocolate foil covered coins.
• A small gift card for a special treat, such as a sundae at a local restaurant.
• Jokes & riddles- stick the answer in the next day's stocking for more fun!
• A mini game, Mad Lib, Sudoku, or even a Christmas coloring page.
• Art supplies.
• A special ornament to hang on the tree.
• A new pair of socks!

Our kids love hot cocoa, so I think that might be a nice one to add as well. You can melt chocolate and cover a plastic spoon with it. Once it dries, wrap it up with plastic wrap on the chocolate end, and add it to the hot cocoa for the kids to stir with. An extra chocolaty treat!

You could put in the pieces to a game for a family game night, too. A coupon for taking the kids sledding, or out to look at the holiday lights would be a fun family way to spend some time, as well.

I hope to make this our newest family tradition, in a long list of traditions I have started over the years. Some are passed down from my family, some from Nick's family, and some are things we've come up with on our own over the years. For instance, we never put candy canes on the tree- Santa does that when he stops by on Christmas Eve.

I know more and more families are shying away from "Santa", but I was raised with Santa, and my kids are raised with Santa. I don't see any harm in it, and the kids eyes just light up when they see the stockings filled by Santa on Christmas morning.