Last year I found, on Pinterest I’m sure, a fun little idea where you wrap a book for your kids to open every day for the 25 Days of Christmas. I really wanted to do it, but like always, was making it to be more complicated than it should be and passed on it.

This year, I was determined to do it. I counted how many Christmas books I had at home and headed off to Half-Price Books to obtain more (I had just sold a bunch of books to them!), so that I had 25 books in all to wrap. I was so excited to get started.

December 1st finally arrived. Tree was up, we found advent Bible verses to do with our son, Christmas movies were now in full swing…it was the day to start our book opening fun. Except, it just didn’t feel fun to say…”here is a book to open.” I wanted something fun to do besides just open a book.

Since my son’s FAVORITE game is hide and seek…I decided to incorporate that into this whole book opening thing.

Every night, I tell him a present his hiding and he has to go find it. So, every night, off he goes in search of his “hiding” present.

He even searches in the most unlikely of places…

Eventually, he does finally find it…

He and his sister will unwrap the gift…

And will then have a new book to be read that night…(Llama Llama Holiday Drama)

Either Daddy or I will read it…

Then…we have some sort of activity to do afterwards that goes along with the book…

Here is a look at this weeks fun!

Our activity is sometimes as simple as coloring a picture that goes with the book…(Muddypaw’s First Christmas)

Handprint Christmas tree…(The Spirit of Christmas)

Watching a Christmas movie and eating a snack…(If You Take a Mouse to the Movies)

Making a book…(No Room at the Inn)

Or painting a snowman with finger paint (Snowmen at Night)

What I love about this…it can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be. Also, there is no need in stressing about not having enough books of your own. Checking out books from the library (and returning them) is a fun way to do it and save some money if you do not have 25 books. This could also be just a 7 day countdown to Christmas too, it doesn’t necessarily have to be 25 days. Whatever you do, make the tradition yours and have FUN making memories with your kiddos.