F is for Fun Food for Christmas

Over the last few weeks I have been working on our family Advent activities for this year.  We will have an Advent Calendar as usual along with reading through our collection of Christmas stories.  This year I am also going to do a Jesse tree with Bear and Bee to take the focus away from receiving presents to more of the reason we celebrate Christmas.

I have nearly got our Advent Calendar finished - just need some numbers on the drawers.  In the past I have used envelopes and boxes but this year I finally found a set of drawers that I liked (and could afford).  I have the activities printed out ready to go in the little drawers.  I just need to buy a few small treats to go in there too.

If you haven't got your Advent Calendar sorted yet or you just want some ideas of activities to do with your children over the upcoming school holidays I have a list that should help.

Here are 24 food related festive activities that you can do with your children throughout December. **List updated 8 December 2014.

1. Make and decorate Salt Dough Ornaments. Change these Easter ones by the threefootcooks to more festive versions using Christmas shaped cookie cutters.  There are lots of ways to make salt dough ornaments.  This is our favourite one.

2. Build a Gingerbread House.  If you have plenty of time, bake the gingerbread and cut out the pieces.  If not, buy one of the many great kits available. I have my eye on an Australian outback shack from one of our bigger grocery stores. But whatever option you go for make sure you use this Gingerbread House 'glue' by Kids Activities Blog.  It is the best. In Australia you buy meringue powder from speciality cake decorating suppliers or subsitute Pavlova Magic from the supermarket.

3. Make Reindeer Food.  This idea comes from Parenting Fun Everyday. It will be a perfect and inexpensive gift for Bear's and Bee's kindy friends.  While you are over looking at this site check out the rest of Amber's great Christmas activites.  She has put together an eBook which you can purchase to make downloading easier or you can get each activity separately for free.

4. Whip up some Christmas Ice Cream.  Ice Cream is good in any weather right? We made Christmas Ice Cream in a Bag for the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop hosted by Sillysparkles.

5. Put together a food hamper for charity.  Non- perishable food items like rice, pasta, cereal, meals in a can and baby food are just some of the items that you can donate.  Have a look at this article on Food Drives from Foodbank in Australia for more ideas or contact a local charity in your town or city.

6. Have Breakfast for Dinner.  We use this simple tradition on a number of occasions throughout the year (like the start of school holidays) and you can make it extra special for Christmas with some simple touches.  Read about having Breakfast for Dinner over at Peace but not Quiet.

7. Bake Cookies for Santa or the neighbours.  These Christmas spiral cookies made with the threefootcooks are good.

8. Make Christmas Popcorn to eat while watching a Christmas movie.  This year we are going to try this delicious sounding Christmas flavoured sugar from Nurturestore.

9.  Make real hot chocolate. Or if it is summer where you live (just like it is for us)  make Iced Chocolate just like Bee did on threefootcooks.

10.  Bake a Christmas Cake together.  Dig out your mum's, aunt's, grandma's cherished recipe and have a go at making it as a family.  Here is my mum's recipe.

11. A great homemade Christmas gift is Cookies in a Jar.  Be a Fun Mum has a simple to follow version that would make delicious gifts for teachers, family friends or relatives.

12.  Bake some Homemade Dog Treats using this recipe from threefootcooks and take them to the animal shelter.  Check first with the shelter if they will accept these.  Otherwise find out what they do need like old blankets and towels, kitty litter or canned food and put together a donation basket.

13. Hold a Gingerbread Party Playdate just like this one from I Can Teach My Child.  I love how it includes the gingerbread creations going missing along with reading The Gingerbread Man story.

14. Make Christmas Cone Cakes with the threefootcooks.  Baking these cupcakes in ice cream cones in the microwave means they are quick and easy to prepare.  Leaving plenty of time for the kids to be creative with the decorating.

15. Challenge the kids to make these gorgeous Gumdrop Snowflakes from Tips from a Typical Mom.

16.  Bake a batch of Angel Halo Biscuits with your kids like I did with the threefootcooks.  They are quick, easy and delicious. 

17.  Mix up a batch of Christmas playdough and let the kids go crazy with the cookie cutter. We made this Christmas Day playdough from Nuturestore and it smells divine.  I love that it is scented using herbs and spices.

18.  Throw in some Kitchen Science by making these Christmas Peppermint Creams.  We made these a few years ago and they worked really well.  Follow the links to the original recipe on the Science Sparks site.

19. Make Candy Cane Chocolate Hearts with Be a Fun Mum.  Another great idea for school friend gifts.

20. Eat Dessert first.  Pavlova is a traditional dessert often included on Australian Christmas dinner tables.  How about getting the kids involved in making their own.  There's no need to make the pavlova base yourself.  If you do want to try making your own One Perfect Day has a recipe for Super Simple Never Fail Pavlova. Buy a box of mini meringues or meringue drops, cut up some fresh fruit such as bananas, berries, mangoes and kiwi fruit and whip fresh cream.  Lay it out on the table in small bowls and get the kids to layer up their own plates. 

21. If your children are breaking for school holidays soon this Christmas Tree Bread from Mess for Less would be a fun and tasty way to keep them busy.

22. Need some Christmas gift ideas? Try these Snowball truffles from Here Come The Girls.

23. Angel Cakes. A sweet take on the more well known Butterfly cakes, here's how we made Angel Cakes.

24. Turn your gingerbread cutter upside down and make these Gingerbread Reindeer from Martha Stewart.