Modern Christmas Time Capsule

I love when time can be frozen and a moment can be perfectly captured.  This project captures your family just as it is today, and holds it together for Christmases to come.  I actually did this tree with my kid's classrooms last year as their class decorations.

   

Here's what they started out looking like:

  Here's how we made them:  Everyone got the chance to bring anything they wanted to represent themselves--little tokens of something important to them.  They took turns placing them where they wanted them on the tree, and I used hot glue to hold them in place.  I used metal tree forms that I picked up second hand, but you could use anything you have shaped in a cone.  When every item was placed, I spray painted them in a hammered metal finish.  You could use any finish you like, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to spray prime before hand.  I was on a time crunch for mine, so I skipped that step. 

What are your family's favorite things, right now?  For us, it would be legos, pencils, cooking utensils, coins for collecting, little toy animals and musical instruments. 

Advent Calendar

This year I decided to make an advent calendar.  I got the Christmas bug a few weeks ago and rummaged through my fabrics until I came up with this.

We embossed cards with the numbers for each day till Christmas, then added two additional cards each day.  One card has an activity, things we like to do anyway, but now the kids can see the plan when they wake up in the morning.  It might be sledding, baking treats, making gifts for their friends or decorating the tree.  For the days we don't really have plans, I added things like cute holiday games I found on the web, watching Christmas movies or cutting paper snowflakes.  The other card has both a scripture and a song.  For our family, we'll probably pull the song up on the internet and play it while we're eating breakfast, and read the scripture afterward.  I found the list online and like it because it's very short and doable for our morning routine.  I posted it below if you're interested.  

Adding an advent calendar to my holiday schedule for some years would feel laughable--I can't possibly squeeze in one more thing.  But this year is just perfect for one to keep us focused and organized, and I'm surprised that it doesn't actually add any extra stress to our schedule.  It also helps that my daughter helped make it, so she's totally on board and gets the boys excited for it, too.

Dec. 1 Isaiah 7:14 Angels We Have Heard On High
Dec. 2 Isaiah 9:6 Away In A Manger
Dec. 3 Micah 5:2 O Little Town of Bethlehem
Dec. 4 Jeremiah 23:5 O Come All Ye Faithful
Dec. 5 Isaiah 40:1-4 Joy to the World
Dec. 6 Jeremiah 33:14-15 The First Noel
Dec. 7 Isaiah 40:11 It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Dec. 8 Psalms 24 Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Dec. 9 Jeremiah 23:6 While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
Dec. 10 Jacob 7:11-12 Far, Far Away On Judea's Plain
Dec. 11 1 Nephi 10:4 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Dec. 12 1 Nephi 13:18 What Child Is This
Dec. 13 1 Nephi 11:20-24 O Holy Night
Dec. 14 1 Nephi 11:27 Who Is The Child
Dec. 15 Helaman 14:3 Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus
Dec. 16 Helaman 14:5-6 I Heard the Bells
Dec. 17 Luke 1:30-31 I Believe in Christ
Dec. 18 3 Nephi 1:13 When Christ Was Born In Bethlehem
Dec. 19 3 Nephi 1:19 Star Bright
Dec. 20 Luke 2:4-7 O Hush Thee My Baby
Dec. 21 Luke 2:8-11 How Great Thou Art
Dec. 22 Luke 2:12-14 We Three Kings of Orient Are
Dec. 23 Matthew 2:1-2 With Wondering Awe
Dec. 24 Mosiah 3:5-8 Silent Night