[weekly mojo series] ideas for advent

With December 1st quickly approaching (okay, seriously, didn't school just start a couple of weeks ago? Where did those months go???), I thought it would be a great time to share some Advent calendar ideas with you. I've gleaned most of these from Pinterest, of course. What I like about these ideas is that many of them focus on quick and easy ways to encourage you to slow down, spend some special time with family, and focus on creating holiday memories and traditions. The best part is that, by keeping your camera handy and snapping a photo (just one or two) at each event, you've got the makings of a perfect Christmas album when you're done.

Here are a few of my favorite Advent projects.

 Being an avid reader, I love the idea of wrapping new and old Christmas stories for Advent and opening a new one each day. Susan Weinroth just shared a great post about how she organizes this project. 

Although the ornaments in this image from Pottery Barn are all store-bought, you could easily create a handmade ornament each day to hang on your tree. 

 It doesn't matter how you organize it -- pockets, banners, tiny boxes. The Advent calendar I love the most shares special traditions and ideas on each day, so that the focus is on the EXPERIENCE, something I treasure more and more each year as my girls get older. 

Want more ideas? Check out our Persnickety Post about creating your own holiday traditions here. Tiffany's class (with Mye and Karla's lovely kits) would be a great way to put all these memories together into a gorgeous album when you're finished. Ali's photo overlays are another great tool to use on your photos. Did you happen to catch our post about our Instagram Memory Tree? With just a little tweaking, you've got another awesome option for your December Advent Calendar. 

Until next week, keep the mojo flowin'!

Aud