New Years with the VDV Four

This year for New Year's I wanted to start another tradition. We are a crafty bunch, so I thought it would be fun to make our own party hats. I just cut out a cone from sparkly card stock and then glued it together (link for a template). Everyone got to decorate their own by painting on mod podge and then sprinkling with glitter. Then we placed a little sparkly pom pom on top and stapled a piece of elastic on the bottom. Bug was very proud of his!

A New Year's Eve tradition that I adopted from my childhood was a fondue to celebrate the end of the year. Bug especially loves the process of cooking his own food now, so it has been an activity we have done the last few years. This year we made the dinner process extra special by having sparklers and confetti poppers. No better way to ring in the new year than with your loved ones (especially the little ones)!

VDV Four Advent Calendar 2013

Here it is, the whole list of our Christmas 2013 Advent activities. Each activity is linked to the blog post corresponding with the day. Some of our activities are pretty self explanatory with the picture and name; however, any activity that requires a bit more explanation will be found in further detail with the link attached.

This is our new Advent Calendar I made this year. The details on how I made it will be found in the day 1 blog post.

Also, this was so successful this year because of my extensive planning. Last year, I started this tradition; however, I was on maternity leave so I had more home time than I did this year. I knew that I wanted to continue this fun Christmas list of activities, and with my return to shift work, it was going to be difficult. Starting in September, I started organizing and collecting the items I would need for our Advent Days. The days that required paint, craft supplies, etc, I organized bags with everything I would need to complete the daily activity. This was really helpful on the days I worked, as I wouldn't have to come home and search for items. 

Our list:

1. Decorate our Tree

2. Make a Christmas Wreath

3. Write a Letter to Santa

4. Decorating the Boys Rooms

5. Baking Santa Hat Cupcakes

6. Food Bank Run

7. Glitter Pine Cones

8. Colour Christmas Pictures

9. Decorate Craft Christmas Tree

10. Water Gun Snow Painting

11. Christmas Tree Waffles for Supper

12. Skating

13. Go See Santa and Give Away 3 Gifts

14. Baking Christmas Cookies

15. Ring and Run

16. Snowman Hot Chocolate Bath

17. Making Beaded Candy Canes

18. You've Been Jingled

19. Make Candy Cane Reindeer

20. Snowman Ice Cream

21. Make Christmas Ornaments

22. Make Homemade Lollipops

23. Go Sledding

24. Christmas Movie Night

25. Open Presents

There you have it. Our fun filled Advent days. I'm looking forward to next year's Calendar!

Here is the VDV Four Advent Days 2012

VDV Four Advent Day 25: Open Presents

The title of this blog post is quite obvious, it's Christmas day, so open presents was our activity! The boys woke up to a mess by the fire place, with the cookies gone and Santa's footprints in some snow he accidentally brought into the house (I sprinkled some icing sugar through a sieve so it looked less clumpy, and then took Daddy VDV's boots to leave imprints in our "snow"). When Bug saw this, he said "Oh no, Santa made a BIG mess.

Next, we sat around our tree, opening up our Christmas presents. It was a wonderful family morning.

That concludes the VDV Advent Days for 2013. As much as I enjoyed this, I was happy it had come to an end for the year. Despite the chaos and sometimes stress of this calendar, the boys loved it, which in turn made us love it. So it will continue to be a family tradition. As crazy and type 'A' as it was to have everything organized by November, it made the whole process run smoothly...I may or may not already have my list of activities written down for next year. Haha...now on to some more VDV fun for 2014!

VDV Four Advent Day 24: Christmas Movie Night

Due to my shift work schedule, I had to work a 12 hour day today. But all day I looked forward to our family evening of cuddling in new pajamas and watching a Christmas movie. Both boys got a pair of new Christmas jammies, and a Christmas book and movie. Bug wanted a new blanket for Christmas (the one I made him previously was too small for my growing tot) and I had yet to make Bear one, so their Christmas Eve present also consisted of one of those knotted fleece blankets (I love how easy they are to make). Our movie this year was the original The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and our book was "Bear Stays up for Christmas" (which only seemed fitting considering our youngest's nickname). 

After, we put out our Christmas cookies and milk for Santa and made some reindeer food by placing 1/2 cup of rolled oats and 2 tbsps of Christmas sprinkles in a bag. Then off to bed for the boys, so Mommy and Daddy Santa could put the presents under the tree.

This morning, Francis was found taking a page out of Jean-Claude Van Damme's book and doing the splits while getting ready to leave on a jet plane(s).