ADVENT CALENDARS + activities

You don't need an Advent calendar to know that Christmas is coming, but opening a little numbered door to reveal a prize is an idea that everyone—religious or not—can get behind. Here’s a brief history of Advent calendars and a few designs of this popular tradition.

ADVENT CALENDAR ORIGINS

Advent calendars begin on December 1 and mark the 24 days before Christmas. Today, most Advent calendars include paper doors that open to reveal an image, Bible verse, or piece of chocolate. The tradition dates to the mid-19th century, when German Protestants made chalk marks on doors or lit candles to count the days leading up to Christmas.

                                                                          Taken from A Brief History of Advent Calendars BY SCOTT ALLEN

EXAMPLES  

24 Super Low-Prep Advent Activities

1. Decorate the Christmas tree
2. Set up the nativity scene (if you have one)
3. Read a classic Christmas book together
4. Make paper snowflakes
5. Write a letter to Santa and put it in the mail
6. Drink hot apple cider or hot cocoa
7. Wear something red or green
8. Sing Christmas carols
9. Eat breakfast for dinner
10. Make a Christmas card for a teacher or friend
11. Eat a candy cane
12. Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas (or another Christmas movie)
13. Wrap presents together
14. Take cookies (or a candy cane) to the neighbors
15. Look at photos from last Christmas
16. Have a cozy PJ’s day
17. Make snow angels (or leaf angels if there is no snow)
18. Call a family member or friend who lives far away
19. Color Christmas pictures for Santa or the elf
20. Do a random act of kindness for someone
21. Have a simple picnic next to the Christmas tree
22. Take a walk (or drive) to look at Christmas lights
23. Have a dance party to Christmas music
24. Set out cookies and milk for Santa

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                                                                                                 https://modernparentsmessykids.com/free-printable-advent-calendar-jokes-every-day-2/                  

                           Because Christmas is fun!

THANKSGIVING VOCABULARY + THANKSGIVING FOOD GAME

                    THANKSGIVING VOCABULARY 

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                       THANKSGIVING FOOD GAME

When is Thanksgiving 2021?

Thanksgiving doesn’t always fall on the same day of the yea, but it always falls on the same day of the week, Thursday.

This year, Thanksgiving will fall on Nov. 25, which is the fourth Thursday of the month. This has been the way that the date for the holiday has been determined since 1941. Before this, the holiday was traditionally held on the last Thursday of November.

The reason for this is a bit unclear. Going back to the earliest days of the tradition, Historians believe that Thursday was chosen because it was one of the more convenient days of the week to have an annual feast. For the early Puritan settlers, Sunday was the Sabbath. It’s likely that the early days of giving thanks were purposely scheduled not to interfere with the Sabbath. Also, Fridays were commonly days of fasting, making them inconvenient feast days for many people.

Since ministers would often give lectures on Thursdays in the New England area, Thursday seemingly became a convenient day for Thanksgiving. As the years went by, it became a tradition. By the time George Washington issued a proclamation for a day of Thanksgiving, Thursday had already been associated with feasts of that nature.

                                                                                                                                 By Michael Hollan | Fox News

How Is Thanksgiving Celebrated?

Thanksgiving in America is very family-focused. During the day, family and friends will come together and eat a large meal and spend quality time together.
Traditional Thanksgiving meals include dishes like sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, fruit pies, and other in-season foods like walnuts, potatoes, corn, squash, and mushrooms. Of course, this also includes the main course for meat-eaters, a turkey! 
Some families like to watch a Thanksgiving Day Parade or American football. The holiday has lost its religious associations over time, and is now mostly a time to practice gratitude and perhaps help others in need.

Watch the video for more information

https://www.twinkl.es/event/thanksgiving-2021                                                                  

Spooky Halloween Stories

Echoes of the past

A young bachelor at the beginning of his career became very successful very quickly, so he bought himself a house. One morning, he awoke to the sound of running water. He rushed to the bathroom and saw that the bathtub faucet was running on full blast. He was perturbed by this, as he lived alone. A week later, it happened again, only this time it wasn’t just one faucet—it was all of the faucets in the house. The young man called a repairman to fix the pipes and the water damage…but, as it turned out, the pipes weren’t broken. The repairman, a local, seemed visibly shaken. “What’s wrong?” the bachelor asked. “The woman who lived here before you,” said the repairman, “she drowned in that bathtub.”

After hours

It was nine o’clock, time for the store to close. Valerie, Ginny, and Kelly were the only ones working. As they were cleaning up the store, a pile of shirts fell to the floor. None of the girls touched it. “It’s probably the ghost,” Ginny said. “Very funny,” said Kelly. “No, really,” Valerie replied. “He’s a little boy. He likes to play.” Kelly still didn’t take them seriously, though; she thought they were teasing her because she was younger. But when she went into the backroom to get her keys to go home, she saw a flash of a young boy in the mirror next to her. When she looked back, her keys had been placed on the floor.

Three’s a crowd

Two sisters were at home while their parents were out at an event one evening. They stayed up late, talking and telling stories in the older sister’s room. Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by the sound of loud music. They looked at each other, confused and unsure of where the music could be coming from. The older sister got out of bed and began walking down the hallway. It sounded like the music was coming from their parents’ room. She peered into the dark room, saw her father’s laptop open—screen on, music blaring. And right then, the music stopped.

Scared, the girl ran back to her room, where her younger sister was waiting on the bed. Frightened, she shut the bedroom door behind her and got back under the covers, holding her little sister tight. They heard slow, heavy footsteps one after another, heading toward their end of the hall. When the footsteps stopped—BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! Three hard knocks on the bedroom door. No one came in, but they certainly didn’t try to leave the room for the rest of the night.

                                                                          Taken from Reader's Digest

Read more stories here