Twas the Night Before Christmas, really it is August

My  cousin was just visiting me.  She has two Grandkids and we are constantly comparing notes.  She asked me if I was doing the "book" project again this year.  I thought about it for about ten seconds and then I told here,  of course.  I will have two five year olds and two seven year olds by December of this year.  They are not too old for a little book fun in December from Ya-Ya.

This will be my fourth year of the book project and trust me it gets harder each year.  The "book" project is a book a day from December 1 through Christmas Eve.  I wrap one book for each family for each day in December until Christmas Day.  I put all of the books into a basket or a huge tin with the date to open clearly marked on the package.  Every night the kids get to open the book with that days date.  When the basket/tin is empty it is Christmas Eve.

When we went to the Polar Express, I had the Polar Express book for that day.  When we went to The Nutcracker I had a Nutcracker picture book for that day.  I try to get some books that are more for the younger set and some for the older kids.  When they were smaller there were a few board books. Now I include a few activity books just to keep them busy in December.

The first year I scoured Marshall's, Barnes and Noble and anywhere I could find to come up with 24 books.  I made  a huge mistake.  I did NOT keep track of the books in my book project.

Year two,  I went to my best friend, Amazon, and bought books.  I made a few mistakes by purchasing books that I had given the kids the year before.

Fast forward to year three.  Now I think I am so smart, I will only buy books with a release date of 2015.  That does not totally work because they sometimes put on a new cover or release it in paperback when it used to be a hardcover so no promises on this either.

So when my cousin was visiting I decided to start buying the books.  I searched for new releases Children's Christmas books in Google.  I have started to buy.  I am taking note of the books as I purchase them.  I have purchased 21 books so far.  So I am almost to the half way point.  I need a few more than 28 because on Activity book days I get a book for each child.  Many of the books I ordered are not released until Oct or Nov but I know that they are in my queue so I do not have to think about it.

Find a big bucket or tin for your books and decorate.  This is a good time to start looking.

You are probably thinking I am crazy at this point, but it takes a while to wrap 48 books (plus) and I tie them all with pretty bows and then I make big tags with the date the book is to be opened.

I am recycling my Longaberger baskets into projects like this one.  But it does require a big basket.

I have searched for pics of my book project and I am coming up with nothing.  As they start to accumulate I will post and give you some encouragement if you decide to do the "Book project".

Advice for a successful book project:

• Start to accumulate your books early.  Now is a good time to start.  It is easy to buy a few per week.  Buying 24 is daunting.
• Start to wrap early.  It takes time to wrap 24 books.
• Find a cool basket or a big tin to hold all of the books.  When the basket is empty it is Christmas Eve.  One year I sprayed the tins with a glittery paint, one family in red and one in Green.  Then I tied jingle bells onto the handles.  The past two years I have used big Longaberger baskets because I am trying to diminish my stash.  I am down to about 200.
• Record all of the books that you have purchased in case you make this a tradition.  Next year you will not repeat books because you can't remember all 24.
• You might want to read the books before you wrap them.  I have purchased a couple of doozies over the years.  At that time my G kids couldn't read so my kids just had a good reason to make a little fun of me.  "Mom, Did you read the books?"  No- why-I guess that some of the stories were a little inappropriate for a three or four year old.......I tried.

It is a very fun way to share the love of reading with your kids and Gkids....It is also fun to add a way to help them understand how long it is until Christmas.  It seems so quick to us as adults and soooo long when you a re five years old.

Hug those kids today and start a few projects.  

"I have my books and my poetry to protect me".....I am a Rock by Simon and Garfunkel.  I just could not do a Christmas song....you would confirm my craziness.  

Coming soon:

• The Ferry Crossing
• View from a Bike
• The Birthday Club
• The Bucket List
• Cheap Online Shopping

Love, Ya-Ya