WEBVTT - Create a Advent calendar of experiences

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to make an Advent calendar of experiences.

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<v Speaker 1>Lots of people of all ages enjoy using an Advent

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<v Speaker 1>calendar to count down the days till Christmas, opening a

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<v Speaker 1>little door to find a new delight every day. These

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<v Speaker 1>calendars should technically start on the first Sunday in Advent,

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<v Speaker 1>that is November this year, but for secular purposes, they

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<v Speaker 1>tend to go from December one until Many of these

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<v Speaker 1>calendars have a little box each day to fill with

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<v Speaker 1>candy or a trinket. This is nice in theory, but

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<v Speaker 1>many of us don't need twenty five more days of clutter.

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<v Speaker 1>So instead, to keep the delight but skip the stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>Why not fill an Advent calendar with experiences. Each day's

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<v Speaker 1>box could contain a slip of paper inviting the recipient

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<v Speaker 1>to a holiday or winter themed activity. Some ideas singing

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<v Speaker 1>Christmas carols, going caroling in your neighborhood, having hot chocolate

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<v Speaker 1>with peppermint marshmallows, making a gingerbread house, decorating holiday cookies,

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<v Speaker 1>making paper snowflakes, going to a local production of a

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<v Speaker 1>Christmas carol or The Nutcracker, watching your favorite holiday movie

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<v Speaker 1>on TV, going to choose your Christmas tree, decorating the tree,

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<v Speaker 1>going for a walk in your neighborhood to check out

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<v Speaker 1>the holiday decorations, driving around to see epic lights displayed

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<v Speaker 1>in your town, Going to the holiday lights display at

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<v Speaker 1>the local park or zoo, going to see Santa Claus.

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<v Speaker 1>If you start brainstorming ideas of fun holiday activities, you

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<v Speaker 1>may be surprised at how many you come up with.

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<v Speaker 1>Once you have a list of ideas, it's wise to

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<v Speaker 1>time specific activities for days when they are likely to work.

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<v Speaker 1>For instance, on a night and your kids have hockey practice,

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<v Speaker 1>having hot chocolate with peppermint marshmallows is a lot more

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<v Speaker 1>doable then going to the holiday lights display at a park.

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<v Speaker 1>If you keep a master list of dates and activities,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe a simple spreadsheet or a list in your bullet journal,

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<v Speaker 1>you can make a switch of activities and dates. If

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<v Speaker 1>you need to say it's raining the day you plan

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<v Speaker 1>to go cut a Christmas tree, you can easily pull

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<v Speaker 1>out the slips of paper and swap days so you

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<v Speaker 1>go see Santa that day and get your Christmas tree

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<v Speaker 1>the next day when the forecast is sunny, hang on

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<v Speaker 1>to the master list of activities and dates. If your

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<v Speaker 1>family enjoys this advent calendar of experiences, you can pull

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<v Speaker 1>out this year's list next year as a starting point.

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<v Speaker 1>That will be much easier than beginning with a blank page.

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<v Speaker 1>Making an advent calendar of experiences is a great way

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<v Speaker 1>to build in holiday fun and delight. With just a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit of planning, you can inject holiday fun into

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<v Speaker 1>every single day until Christmas. That will truly make this

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<v Speaker 1>the most wonderful time of the year. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also

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<v Speaker 1>shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i

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<v Speaker 1>heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out

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<v Speaker 1>with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward

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<v Speaker 1>to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of

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