Day 21

(Day 21!?!?!?!! Already?!?!?!)

Put up and decorate your family Christmas tree. Stand back and admire it as you work.

Day 16

Pick a Christmas card you've received this week and pray for the person who sent it.

Supply list for Dec. 12-18

(Ooops -- forgot to do this yesterday!)

Sunday
Advent wreath
Matches

Monday
Christmas cards that have been sent to you

Tuesday
Mary and Joseph figures from your Nativity set

Wednesday
Paper
Pens/Pencils
Envelope(s)

Thursday
Lamp or electric candle to place in a window (we'll need a battery-operated one)

Friday
Christmas Movie (DVD, VHS, Netflix, etc.)  
Popcorn
Bowls

Saturday
Christmas tree
Lights (optional)
Ornaments
Tree-topper
The ability to not freak out when you realize Christmas is only a week away.  

Our Day 15

Well, we forgot to see who sang loudest at Mass, but the kids are looking forward to getting that pink candle lit at dinner time.

We had a lazy day. We took all the kids to see Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader (in 2D, not 3D because 3D costs $3 per person more!), which was met by mixed reviews in our family. We certainly could have done with out the closing song: "We can all be kings and queens of something if we just believe!" Then we cuddled up under afghans and watched George C. Scott's "A Christmas Carol" (tell-tale 80s hair, but mostly very good). Fun to be lazy for a change...

Day 15

Light two purple candles and the pink one for joy. See who can sing loudest at Mass* today.


*Or services at your non-Catholic church

Our Day 14

Even though I had sent five or six boxes and bags of outgrown/unwanted clothes to our local Catholic Social Services gift & thrift store about a week before Thanskgiving, I was able to come up with four more grocery sacks today. Which means that (a) my kids are growth-spurting again and (b) when I was thrift-shopping for winter stuff this past year, I completely underestimated what sizes my oldest and youngest kids would be this year and (c) we have too much stuff in general.

Alas, the one thing I completely forgot to do was take the kids to the local Catholic hospital this morning, where they were having a big Christmas party with free food and crafts and somebody dressed like my middle kid's patron saint. She was pretty upset when she brought it to my attention and I had to tell her that the event had ended 45 minutes earlier. I'm not too happy we missed it, either.

The rest of the day was spent on housework, interviewing somebody for an article I'm writing, making progress on a couple of Christmas presents, and working on my ornaments. I make an angel ornament every year, and this year's is turning out pretty well. It's not as time consuming as some of my previous years, either. I'm about half done, and I've only given it about 4 hours.

The wind is howling outdoors. The children are nestled all snug in their beds, and my husband and I are settling down to watch the Nero Wolf "Christmas Party" episode. Two weeks till Christmas!

Day 14

Clean out your closets of unwanted clothes or toys in good condition. Donate them to a shelter or other charity.