(via nyminute:emphasisadded)

Christmas Book Advent Calendar

How brilliant is this?!

Instead of using a traditional advent calendar [where hidden behind microscopic paper doors are tiny holiday themed photos or bite-sized pieces of chocolate] to count down the days until Christmas….why not make things a little more interactive with this delightful idea!

You can create your own Christmas Book Advent Calendar, by wrapping 24 Christmas Books in festive holiday paper. Label each book with the 24 days until Christmas and display them somewhere in your home [on your mantle…under the tree!]. Each night, your kids get to unwrap one book and that is their bedtime story for the evening.

[I know it sounds daunting at first…but wrap in cheap paper and definitely reuse the books year after year. Just call it a tradition!]

I stumbled on this idea on one of my favorite mommy blogs, and while our little girl will be experiencing Christmas from inside my tummy this year, I DEFINITELY will be implementing this come Christmas 2011. And I plan beginning my hunt for Holiday Books now!

Have I mentioned….I really can’t wait to be a Mom!

[Photo & Idea via Babyccino Kids
and visit their bookshop to check out their recommendations for the best Children’s holiday books!]

Growing up, I was always obsessed with my advent calendar. And by “growing up,” I mean, I need to go out and get one for this year. Sometimes chocolate, sometimes ornaments, there was just something special about opening up a little thing each day with the anticipation mounting towards Christmas.

And this, well, THIS is such an amazing idea! File under: Things to Keep In Mind for 10 Years Down the Road.

You know, at first I saw this and thought “Well snap, it starts in 2 days, I’ll never have that many books in time.”  But we have a ton of books, I’ll bet I can scrape together enough books about Christ and the holidays to equal up to 25 (should I wrap the entire Seuss Anthology just because that’s the only copy of The Grinch that I have??).  And if I can’t, I’ll just wrap some extra random books to equal 25 and then find some later and replace them.  She’ll never know, mwwhhaaahaaa.