From construction paper rings to elaborate Advent calendars, there are many ways to countdown to Christmas. This year, decide upon one special step for your family to do each day during the month of December to help prepare for the holiday.

Organize these special steps into a Picaboo book to help you remember them from year to year. As you go through the month of December, your family will love turning the page each morning to see what holiday preparations you will be doing that day.

Getting Started

1. Make a list of 24 steps that your family can take to get ready for Christmas. These can be as simple as receiving advent calendars on December 1st, getting out the Christmas tablecloth, or setting up the nativity. Or, they may be as elaborate as finding a tree, putting up the outdoor lights, or baking a big batch of Christmas cookies.
2. Gather pictures that illustrate each step on the journey towards Christmas. If this is the first year your family is starting this tradition, you may want to take a few pictures each day to include in a book that you can use next year.
3. Organize the pictures you have collected into a new folder.

Creating Your "Family Countdown" Book

1. Create a new book in Picaboo and select the Happy Holidays theme.
2. Add the pictures you have collected to your "Family Countdown" book.
3. Choose page layouts that allow you to include the date (December 1st through 25th), a picture to illustrates the step to take that day, and text describing the activity to each page.
4. When you are finished adding your pictures and text, use custom backgrounds and corners to finish the effect.

Your "Family Countdown" book will become the center of your family's Christmas preparations and will turn small events such as setting up the holiday candles into a fun family event each day of December.