I love our Christmas countdown tradition. There was a lot to juggle around this year, and some items ended up getting delayed, but that's ok. It's still a lot of fun!
We bought a countdown calendar for Decker to have this Christmas season. He seemed to enjoy getting a little sweet potato bite each day!
We bought a Grinch calendar for the family. It had tiny figures and such in it which were fun to see each day. We created a whole little village from it.
Here are the fun things we did during our countdown this year:
Day 1 - Ryan read the nativity story from Luke 2 to us. It's great to start out the season by remembering why we celebrate Christmas.
Day 2 - Cozy start to Christmas. Mia received a new super soft bathrobe while Lily received a Grinch onesie blanket.
Day 3 - We gave Decker a new toy because he's such a good boy! The toy is a stuffed pheasant, and he absolutely loves it!
Day 4 - The girls gave of their funds to charitable organizations. Lily gave to the Lottie Moon offering at our church while Mia chose to give baby chicks through Samaritan's Purse.
Day 5 - We stuffed, sealed, and stamped our Christmas cards to get them in the mail.
Day 6 - This was an incredibly busy day, so we each took a few seconds to tell our favorite wintertime joke. Lily's friend, Lauren Martin, was over, and we agreed her joke was the best:
Day 7 - Our family enjoyed a nice dinner out together. We went to Marcel which is a French steakhouse, and it was absolutely delicious!
Day 8 - We had an inflatable reindeer ring toss tournament. Lily won and was awarded a McDonald's gift card as her spoils.
Day 9 - We put together a "this or that" day which is so much fun. We knew we were heading down to the Buckhead Christmas Market, so option 1 was picking lunch while there.
We made a slight tweak when we actually saw the food options. The girls and I had crepes while Ryan enjoyed a pretzel.
Option 2 was stopping by Target for either an ugly sweater or a cozy item; cozy won, and the girls each got some cute new socks. Option 3 was stopping by PetSmart or Whole Dog Market for a Christmas present for Decker; Whole Dog was the winner, and we got him a cute little toy squirrel. Option 4 was going by RaceTrac or QT for a treat; RaceTrac was the winner. What a fun day!
Day 10 - Annie at the Fox with our Broadway across Atlanta tickets. Such a great show!
Day 11 - A fun new family game for the Switch. We ended up not having time for this today, but Ryan and Mia played later on. It was a cute little game.
Day 12 - Axe Throwing tournament on our back porch. Lily won a Publix gift card for coming out on top!
Day 13 - I read The Crippled Lamb to our family; I love this book.
Day 14 - We enjoyed a time of prayer together. We prayed for each other and one other person or group that is dear to us. I love this time together.
Day 15 - We played flip tic tac toe on our dining room table which was some fast-paced fun. Congrats to Mia for winning a Chick-fil-a gift card with some great double-flipping moves!
Day 16 - Bama's Christmas party in Birmingham. It's always nice when the whole family gets together. These 9 kids have fun together, and I think it makes for one very happy Bama!
Day 17 - Brown family Christmas party at Jodi's house. Lots of good food and good times together here. We are very thankful to have such a great extended family.
Day 18 - Family game night where we played a new Taco versus Burrito game. It was pretty fun, and Mia came out on top (though there was no prize for this win).
Day 19 - A delicious and fun treat with Elf breakaway sugar cookies. Yummy!
Day 20 - We went to see Wonka in the movie theater. We all thoroughly enjoyed this movie; it was really delightful!
Day 21 - We loved supporting our friend, Avery Hobson, as the Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol. She did a great job in this classic role!
Day 22 - We made cheese fondue at home. It wasn't as good as the Melting Pot, but we sure did enjoy it.
Day 23 - We watched a Christmas movie at home. We settled on the live action version of The Grinch as it's been quite awhile since we've watched it. We all enjoyed it, but agreed we like animated versions better.
Day 24 - We loved getting to spend the evening of Christmas Eve at our church. First Baptist Smyrna has grown near and dear to our hearts, so we were thankful to be here for this lovely service.
What a great countdown to Christmas!
