This post is sponsored by Portable North Pole (PNP).
Christmas with little kids is simply the best. And now that we have three little ones it’s even more special! This is our first Christmas as a family of five so I want to savor every moment! This year I put together a simple advent calendar for the kids and I love how it turned out! It’s filled with fun and easy activities we can do together as a family and the kids are SO EXCITED.
One activity was a personalized video from Santa! We created a video thanks to Portable North Pole. More details on that below!
I found these cute little bags last year after Christmas for 75% off and knew right away they would be perfect for an advent calendar. I simply hung some twine under our window and used a clothespin to clip each bag. I picked up some simple gift tags and numbered them all….I told you it was easy!
Both kids RUN to it each morning and are so excited to see what’s inside that day’s bag.
So I thought I would share with you some of our easy advent ideas in case you want to make one for your kids! We do 1-25 as a count-down to Christmas, but you can start this any time! Some days there is just a little treat for each kid inside (like a small piece of chocolate) and some days there is an activity.
– Watch a personalized video from Santa (more details on how I made this below)
– Watch Home Alone and pop popcorn
– Write a letter to Santa
– Go on a jingle bell hunt (just hide little jingle bells around your house and have the kids find them. They think this is SO cool.)
– New ornament (I get my kids a new Christmas ornament each year to put on the tree in their room. They LOVE this)
– Make paper snowflakes
– Make candy cane hot chocolate
– Take a bath with glow sticks
– Make s’mores in the fireplace (my kids get a big kick out of this one!)
– Build a snowman
– Learn a new Christmas song
– Decorate a gingerbread house
– Pick out a present for the dog
– Have a birthday party for Jesus
– Make Christmas cookies
– Get hot chocolate and drive around at look at Christmas lights
– Watch The Polar Express in our pjs
– Have a pajama day and build a fort in the living room
– Pick out an Angel Tree gift for a child in need
– Treasure hunt for chocolate (I hide chocolate kisses around the house and they hunt for them)
– Donate towels and food to the animal shelter and visit the animals
– Make a mason jar snow globe
– Make reindeer food for Santa’s reindeer
– Decorate Christmas ornaments for the tree and to give as gifts
– Read the Christmas story
Pro tip: look at your calendar while planning your advent. Make sure you don’t put “make Christmas cookies” on a day when you know you’ll be busy. And, if you are like me, you’ll forget what day is which, so just try and remember to check it the night before. If you aren’t feeling up to the next day’s activity just switch them out!
This year we had a custom video message made for each child from Santa! My kids are a little scared to visit the real Santa, so this was perfect for them! Portable North Pole helps you create Christmas magic in the comfort of your own home!
Setting up the video was so fun and easy. It asked me my kid’s names, ages, and several questions about them. I also got to upload a photo of them, a picture of something they want for Christmas, a photo of our house, and more! The video was SO detailed! Hudson couldn’t believe it when Santa said his name and had his picture in his book. His reaction was priceless!
Hudson watched his video and Sadie’s video three times each. And he talked about it for the rest of the week! Santa even told Hudson to make sure he brushes his teeth every night (there are several options like that to choose from. Sadie’s video mentioned there was a new addition to our family and Santa also reminder her to “be nice to your sister” haha!).
You can also create a custom phone call from Santa! It’s such a fun activity to do throughout the month. I was seriously blown away with how detailed and creative each video and phone call was! There are several video options to choose from and each have a little story to them. I can see us keeping up this tradition for years to come.
Check out Portable North Pole to make your child a personalized video from Santa. I promise you it will be a HUGE hit! They also offer free videos (that are so cute!) and have been making magic for 10 years! The Portable North Pole also has an amazing Children’s Hospital Program that helps to put smiles on the faces of children in need of extra cheer. PNP has partnered with leading hospitals around the world so that whenever you purchase a personalized call or a personalized video message from Santa, a portion of the sale is donated to the participating children’s hospital closest to you. This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Portable North Pole.
Oh I am going to hit up our Target after Christmas to see if I can find those little bags. Is that where you found them? I have bought a few in the Target dollar spot, but never thought about using them for Advent! I love that idea.
GORGEOUS advent calendar!! Well done mama x
I don't know how I missed this post, but this advent calendar is the absolute best! Jumping on the Santa Videos ASAP…I think both of my boys need a reminder that he's watching!
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