Christmas Countdown Chain and Other Holiday Traditions

The weather has started to get yucky here and so, on a cold day, when we wanted to stay indoors, we decided to help our daughter make a Christmas Countdown Chain. 

You can simply use construction paper to make this or, I found some neat links to color that my daughter enjoyed doing here.  (Of course there are still so many days until Christmas that my husband and I also colored some of these links to help her out!)

She has enjoyed taking one chain link off every night and it has helped her to know that Christmas is coming, but we still have a few more days before it is here!

Since December is flying by, we decided to make a list of traditions that we wanted to be sure we did this year before Christmas.  Here is our list:

• Set up Christmas tree, lights and decorations around house (Done!)
• See Santa at the mall (Done!  My daughter asked for a big girl bike, a helmet and a candy cane!)
• Christmas chain link (Done!)
• Advent calendar (In progress.  Ok, I cheat.  I buy one with chocolates in it from Trader Joe's.  Yum!)
• Christmas book tradition (In progress)
• Go see Christmas lights - There is an incredible neighborhood near where we live that, every year, puts up incredible lights and holiday displays in their yard and on their houses.  This street is packed full of cars and people walking every night to see the lights!  It is such an amazing thing that every single person on this street does each year.  We can't wait to see what they did this year!
• Make gingerbread houses
• Write a letter to Santa
• Bake Christmas cookies
• Bake treats to take to friends (a post on this coming soon!)

What are your holiday traditions?

Happy Holidays!