Advent Unwrapping

In a lot of ways, we have never been busier. I feel like I blink and a week passes by. But in other ways, things are so much easier with older kids and I have more free time than I used to. So one thing I always wanted to do, in addition to our Jesse Tree/Advent Calendar, is a book countdown. I usually have  assigned each day a book or movie in December. But this year I wrapped them all and wrote numbers on them so the kids can unwrap something each day and see what we will be watching or reading. This did take awhile, so when I did it, I felt it probably wouldn't be worth the effort. However, after seeing it in action, I really do feel it was worth it. The kids are totally pumped when it's their turn to unwrap and they are always super excited to see what it is. I thought it wouldn't be that exciting because, though I switch out a couple books or movies each year as they get older, it's mostly the exact same stuff we read or watched last year. (The Santa Clause, if you are wondering, is not a great movie. It was new this year for us. It is a good one for younger kids who may be ready for their first non-animated movie. I hope we will switch it out for Miracle on 34th Street before too long.) I'm not sure we'll do it forever, but we'll probably continue it for a few years before the kids stop being excited by it.