Each day of Advent we do our reading and one of the children gets a treat. Some of the days have an additional treat to do as a family. Some of the examples include:

*picking up Starbucks and driving around to look at lights

*making a gingerbread house

*Charlie Brown Christmas dinner and a movie

*making treats for our teachers

* watching a Christmas movie

*going to a Christmas concert

Some of the gifts that I give them are:

*pajamas

*Christmas movie

*hand sanitizer with a cute holder

* Christmas ornament relating to each one’s birthday party from the year

*one gift specifically for them

They each look forward to when it’s their turn.

It does take some planning and there have been moments of selfishness that have made me think about calling the whole thing off. I tried to turn those moments into learning experiences instead of punishing everyone. They turned into talks about people who are less fortunate, the meaning of the season, and the fact that Advent (just like Christmas) isn’t about “things”.  It’s about a the birth of a baby sent to save the world.