Advent Calendars come in many shapes and sizes, like Kubla Crafts Stuffed Oh Christmas Tree Fabric Advent Calendar or Wood Advent Tree w/ 24 Storage Drawers -Ready to Paint Unfinished. Homeschoolers love to make their own, too. Sometimes.

This year, I will use this blog post as my Advent Calendar. As we do each activity, I will update this post with a picture or a link. Our Advent Calendar will double as a homeschool record.

Here are our daily Advent Calendar Activities:

1. Put up the Christmas tree.

Daddy and children setting up the Christmas tree

2. Decorate the rest of the house.

I bought a simple wreath at the Christmas Store in Pigeon Forge and added things we already had – a bow, a couple of bells and an ornament.

I had given up on finding the right Advent Calendar for us this year, when I ran into this beauty at Tuesday Morning in Pigeon Forge.

3. Every day sing/learn Christmas carols/hymns. This whole month we sing Christmas hymns at family worship times. My favorite is Adeste Fideles (O, Come, All Ye Faithful). I hope my children can learn it in Latin in a few years.

4. Drive through Gatlinburg at night, to see the lights.

Christmas lights abound in Gatlinburg – Winter Fest is what they call it. It starts in November and ends in March.

5. Pick up books about Christmas at the library.

My children got lost in books at the library and just hit the floor.

6. Make Christmas crafts.

I asked my son to build a LEGO nativity scene. I gave him instructions from a website, but he came up with his own, as he did not have all the right bricks. Please note the angel on the barn. Also, the donkey, camel and two grazing sheep. I intentionally blurred the Holy Family because, well, they look a bit too modern – especially Joseph. But I did not want to buy the LEGO figures with their robes. I wanted my son to build his own and I think he did a fantastic job. Baby Jesus looked really cute.

My children working on a Christmas tree craft at the library, after Story Time. We live in a small, tourist town, so often we are the only ones attending such programs. It’s a pity. The children’s librarian puts together such meaningful programs.

7. Take a nature walk and note object lessons. Update: the weather was rainy and cold. We stayed in and listened to Pandora’s Classical Christmas Station while working on Christmas crafts.

8. Take a family picture.

9. Bake cookies for neighbors. We bake several batches throughout the month.

10. Learn the 12 Days of Christmas song.

11. Point out the 12 Days of Christmas symbols in Pigeon Forge.

12. Make a gingerbread house.

13. Write Christmas cards.

14. Take a nature walk. If we have snow, make a snow man.

15. Bake cookies for neighbors. We bake several batches throughout the month.

16. Make Christmas crafts.

17. Attend a Christmas concert or watch one on TV/youtube. We attended the Sevier County Choral Society concert at the Presbyterian Church in Gatlinburg. I used to sing with this choir before we had children.

18. Bake cookies for ourselves.

19. Get more Christmas books from the library.

20. Make more Christmas crafts.

21. Take a nature walk and/or play in the snow.

22. Bake cookies for neighbors. We bake several batches throughout the month.

23. Start cooking for the big meal. Find ways to let the kids help.

24. Finish cooking while still letting them help.

Hope this gives you some ideas for your homeschool this December. Please leave me a comment below with your celebrations, activities and resources.