Christmas Countdown Starts Tomorrow!

Hooray for December!

We've got our "Advent Calendar" up and I've got a list of activities for December ready to go. I hesitate to call it an Advent calendar since the way we celebrate really has nothing to do with Advent at all. In fact, Advent, always begins on the fourth Sunday before December 25th. In 2010, that would have been last Sunday, November 28th.

Instead, we typically use our calendar as a Christmas Countdown, starting on December 1st and ending on Christmas day. A couple of years ago I found a really cute stocking calendar. It's big and has pockets on the outside and room on the inside to put stuff.


So I'm trying to decide which activity to put in tomorrow's pocket from my list, because I really don't like it to be just a candy/sweet treat every day. However, our schedule tomorrow is ... busy ... to say the least:

Kids home from school - 2:45 p.m.
Ty home from work - 3:30 p.m.
Matthew Tae Kwondo - 3:45 - 4:45 p.m.
Dinner - 5:15 - 5:45 p.m.
Hannah Girl Scouts - 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Kids in bed - 8:30 p.m.

That doesn't leave much time for an actual activity in which everyone can participate.

Maybe we can have hot chocolate with our dinner. Oooh - maybe while the girls are in school, I could make those plastic stirring spoons dipped in chocolate that they can stir their cocoa with. And I could add little marshmallows! Ok, this is shaping up into something fun. I found a great hot chocolate recipe last year on www.allrecipes.com:

Rich 'N Thick Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2 (1 ounce) squares BAKER'S Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Place water and chocolate in heavy medium saucepan; cook on low heat until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Add sugar; mix well.
2. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Boil 3 min., stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Reduce heat to medium.
3. Cook until mixture is heated through, stirring occasionally.

Yes, I think this will do!