The Twelve Days of Thanksgiving Advent Calendar

Chad, don't read this post because I want you to be surprised by the activities in the advent calendar.

So, after considering all of your lovely ideas and consulting the ever-creative minds of Pinterest, my friend Cynthia and I got together and built these lovely advent calendars. I am pretty happy with the overall utility and cuteness. Each of the little cards has an activity for each of the 12 days leading up to Thanksgiving Day. I included a variety of different activities, including:

• writing notes or calling parents, grandparents, siblings, spouse, friends, etc.
• writing a thank-you to the mailman and leaving it in the mailbox for him/her
• watching Charlie Brown's Christmas (available on youtube)
• making some kind of Thanksgiving treat to share with someone (I picked these nutter butter turkeys)
• going on a "I'm-thankful-for-my-legs-and-feet" Thanksgiving jog
• singing Thanksgiving hymns together
• writing a letter to a favorite teacher, missionary, service-person, etc.

In short, it should be fun AND meaningful. My favorite.

One of my favorite features of this little calendar is that at Christmas time, I plan to swap out the little numbered leaves on the envelopes for some numbered ornaments, and the Thanksgiving graphic for a Christmas one. And of course, I will swap out the activity cards for some red/green, Christmas-themed ones. I love when I feel like things I make are versatile! 

Cynthia and I talked about making a tree to go alongside the calendar (you know how with some advent calendars, you take the little ornaments each day and put them on a tree? Yes.) So we talked about making a wintry tree with no leaves (just branches) that you could decorate with the numbered leaves (which are velcroed to the envelopes) after you do the activity card each day, and then having a paper Christmas tree to set out during December to decorate with the ornaments. Sounds like a good idea, maybe I'll get around to it sometime.  

I am pretty excited. Because the twelve days of Thanksgiving starts today! Yay.