(Stuff Jo Made) - Advent Calendar 2016

My niece, Hazel, was born in May and I had the fun opportunity to not only make her very own shoe-hanger advent calendar, but to fill it this December, too. I opted to use the clear plastic shoe-holder that I already owned (and used for Francie's Camino advent this Spring), and used puffy paint to draw the numbers. The clear advent does mean the items have to be wrapped, but I've discovered that they need to be wrapped anyway, once a kid is over 2 years old.

With 24 days leading up to Christmas, and large pockets to accommodate many things, this year was as good of a year as any to incorporate more activities/acts of kindness into the Bean's advent calendar - yet another manifestation of my anxiety about developing a child with a strong sense of gratitude, community, purpose, compassion, etc. ...

1) Moana CD
2) candy cane 6 oz. hot cocoa mugs
3) 3x hot cocoa packets
4) new pack of shorty markers with instructions to make cards for my Aunt Mary Ann's adopted African "orphans"

That is Santa delivering presents to one of the orphans

And Francie's bed with another Santa bringing presents for Christmas. We took photos of the drawings and then emailed each of the cards to the orphans' social worker lady.

5) instructions to bring with Beebee flowers to a retirement/nursing home

Beebee and Francie came to Waterhouse, one of the facilities where I supervise graduate students, and she (very shyly) gave flowers to each of the residents; once she warmed up, she colored and played with playdough with some of my favorite residents

6) Beebee's donation to Heifer International; he purchased chickens for a family in Francine's name
7) new Christmas PJ's (and a beanie that was for her stocking, but the weather required an early gift!)
8) holiday DVDs - Buddy the Elf musical and Polar Express
9) two pairs of holiday socks - reindeer and penguins
10) supplies and instructions to make her Pre-K teacher an ornament, and candy canes to give her school friends

Painting ornaments, including for Grandma Lambie and Great Aunt Gilda

Craft time with Mama

11) instructions to shop for a doll + stroller for a child in need, from the giving tree at Lamb's Thriftway

We bought the stroller and a doll at Target, but I wanted the little girl - a 4 year old named "Jocelyn" - to have a nice doll, something that I would buy for Francie, so I used the credit I had to Thinker Toys to buy this Melissa and Doug doll that is just like Francie's "Big Baby."

12) a new book, and instructions to donate some old books to one of the neighborhood "little libraries"
13) new snowflake stamp and holiday stickers with instructions to make Christmas cards to mail to veterans overseas
14) instructions to bring a morning coffee treat to her teachers at school (plus a yummy drink for herself, too)
15) Beebee donated to Southern Poverty Law Center in Francine's name (and since she still didn't really get it this year, I also included a little wax stick snowman craft)
16) two Curious George books and a Quiet Time magnet set
17) mittens and new sunglasses
18) a box of brownie mix and instructions to bake treats to bring to the fire station

Mimi took this pic of Mama and Francie dropping off the cookies and brownies to the fire station in Hillsdale, although no employees were around, so we just stuck the box and a sweet card she made in the mailbox

19) a large bag of birdseed and a small bag of jelly beans
20) Dr. Seuss floor puzzle
21) two new Scholastic holiday books
22) penguin watch and penguin washcloth

Francie excitedly rocking the new penguin watch from her advent

23) instructions to bake cookies and deliver treats to the neighbors, + a new Christmas nightgown

Her favorite part of "baking," obvi

24) dreidel game (first day of Hanukkah this year)

Francie and Daddy playing dreidel, with me YouTubing the "dreidel dreidel dreidel" song in the background and thinking up snide captions for this photo to send someone like Pence on Xmas Eve