ADVENT 2011-2016
Before I started SSJ, I published The Lunchbox Season and Summer of Funner.
Here’s WHAT WE DID FOR ADVENT On The Lunchbox Season From 2011-2012
ADVENT 2016
THE LUNCHBOX SEASON’S FAMILY ADVENT CALENDAR 2016
KEY RECIPES AND PROJECTS
ADVENT 2016 ROLL CREDITS
The Lunchbox Season’s Advent Love-To-Do List 2016
The Lunchbox Season’s Top 10 Gifts for the Kitchen + a Soundtrack
The Lunchbox Season’s Family Advent Calendar Kick-Off: Make Favourite Photo Ornaments
Family Advent Calendar : Visit the One of a Kind Show and Sale + Our Top 10 Gifts From #ooakx16
Family Advent Calendar : Adopt an Animal from WWF Canada #givingtuesday
Family Advent Calendar : Make Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
Family Advent Calendar: Lunch, Shopping, and the Ferris Wheel at the Toronto Christmas Market
Family Advent Calendar : Tree Trimming Party with Homemade Eggnog
Family Advent Calendar : Massey Hall Christmas Concert
Family Advent Calendar : Plan Christmas Dinner and Make “Test Cookies” for Santa : Dorie Greenspan’s Speculoos
Buttons from Bon Appétit
Family Advent Calendar : Holiday Book Swap
Family Advent Calendar : Support Forests Ontario #givingtuesday
Family Advent Calendar : Design Santa in a Masterpiece Cards
Family Advent Calendar : Skating or a Winter Walk and Roasted Chestnuts
Family Advent Calendar : Make Deep Dish Pizza and Watch a Festive Movie
Family Advent Calendar: Christmas Canning! Lemon Ginger Marmalade and Whiskey Fig Cranberry Sauce
Family Advent Calendar : King Lear Cold Reading
Have Yourself a Canadian Little Christmas: Make Fudge! Our Recipe for Penuche, Butterscotch Fudge with Pralines
Family Advent Calendar : Give a Bee Hive via Plan Canada Gifts of Hope #givingtuesday
Family Advent Calendar : Write & Illustrate a Beastly Christmas Tale
Family Advent Calendar : Random Act of Christmas Kindness
Family Advent Calendar : Dinner and Rogue One, A Star Wars Story
Family Advent Calendar : Bake ALL of the Christmas Cookies + The Lunchbox Season’s Top 10 Holiday Cookie & Bar Recipes
Family Advent Calendar : Rewrite the Song of the Summer as a Holiday Carol
Family Advent Calendar: Football in the Park After Dark
Family Advent Calendar : Daily Bread Food Bank Donation #givingtuesday
Family Advent Calendar : Double Chocolate Cookies with Andes Mints
Family Advent Calendar : Family Pajama Exchange
Family Advent Calendar : Make Bûche de Noël + 5 Bûche de Noël Recipes
Family Advent Calendar : Christmas Eve Checklist
Merry Christmas
New Year’s Eve Movie Party : Transformation Movies
Advent 2016 Roundup
Advent 2015
THE LUNCHBOX SEASON’S FAMILY ADVENT CALENDAR 2015
KEY RECIPES AND PROJECTS
ADVENT 2015 ROLL CREDITS
Reinventing a Holiday Classic : Chocolate Hazelnut Bûche de Noël
Our Yule Log Recipe Featured on Huffington Post Canada Living!
Advent 2015 Love To Do List
Our Top Picks from the One of a Kind Show and Sale, or, The 12 Crushes of #OOAKX15
Family Advent Calendar 2015 : Family Tree Trimming Party
Family Advent Calendar : Make Italian Lemon Knots
Family Advent Calendar : Family Book Exchange
Rewrite the Song of the Summer as a Holiday Carol
Create an Elaborate Christmas Colouring Page
Donate to the WWF
Design Your Own Playing Cards
Make Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies
Make Whisky Fig Cranberry Sauce and Carrot Cake Jam
Provide a Newborn Checkup via Plan Canada Gifts of Hope
Make Lichtenstein Inspired Holiday Cards
Picnic Beneath the Christmas Tree
Make Saffron Lussekatter : Santa Lucia Buns
Illustrate or Cartoon “Good King Wenceslas”
Holiday Cookie Bake Off
Design Holiday Gift Tags
Teacher Gifts : Make Dorie Greenspan’s World Peace Cookies
Random Act of Kindness Day
Visit the Toronto Christmas Market
Dinner and Star Wars
Posterize the Twelve Days of Christmas
Red and Green Supper : Make Bowtie Pasta
Give to the Daily Bread Food Bank
Pizza, Popcorn, Pajamas, and an Ernst Lubitsch Triple Feature
Illuminate or Video Shelley’s Ozymandias and Make a Chocolate Hazelnut Bûche de Noël
Christmas Eve Checklist
Merry Christmas!
A New Year’s Thin Man Movie Marathon
Advent 2015 Roundup
Advent 2014
THE LUNCHBOX SEASON’S FAMILY ADVENT CALENDAR 2014
KEY RECIPES AND PROJECTS
ADVENT 2014 ROLL CREDITS
The Lunchbox Season’s Sweet Shop: Our Best Holiday Recipes
Kick-Off Party: Stir-Up Saturday: Make a Twenty-First Century Canadian Christmas Cake
Sketch-It Sunday: Re-Illustrate Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Make-Ahead Monday: DIY Vanilla Extract and Simple Syrup
Tonic Tuesday: Adopt an Animal From the World Wildlife Fund
Write-It Wednesday: Compose and Perform an Original Christmas Carol
Throw-Back Thursday: Draw Fresh Blueprints of Santa’s Workshop and Make Our Famous Santa Baby Cookies
Festive Friday: Tree Trimming Party: Roast Chestnuts, Sing Carols, Make Favourite Photo Ornaments…
Stir-Up Saturday: Make Soft Gingerbread Crackle Cookies with Candied Ginger Bits
Sketch-It Sunday: Create Your Own Illustrations of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
Make-Ahead Monday: DIY Massage Oil Bars, Bath Bombs, and Bath Salts
Tonic Tuesday: Give a Family an Endless Harvest via Plan Canada
Write-It Wednesday:Use a Line from ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas as the Inspiration for your own Poem or Story
Throw-Back Thursday: Make Picasso Santa Holiday Cards and Bake Turkish Pizza Pides
Festive Friday: Take Out Chinese and a Triple Feature: The Maltese Falcon, Murder My Sweet, and The Lady in the Lake
Stir-Up Saturday: Cherry and Pistachio Studded Short Bread Cookies
Sketch-It Sunday: Read and Illustrate Much Ado About Nothing, Acts I-III
Make-Ahead Monday: Hot Chocolate Bombs and Microwaveable Mitten Warmers
Tonic Tuesday: Donate to the Daily Bread Food Bank
Write-It Wednesday: Holiday Haiku Challenge
Throw-Back Thursday: Play Holiday Floor Scramble and Christmas Clue, Revive the Holiday Shadow-Puppet Theatre, and Make Butterbeer Blondies
Festive Friday: Fish and Chips and a Quadruple Feature: Pimpernel Smith, Q Planes, The 49th Parallel, The Spy In Black
Stir-Up Saturday: Reverse Chip Brookie Cookies
Sketch-It Sunday: Read and Illustrate Much Ado About Nothing, Acts III-V
Last-Minute Monday: Make Holiday Bark for Giving: Host a Bark-Making Party for the Kids
Tonic Tuesday: Give Forests Ontario
Christmas Eve Checklist and a Gingerbread Bûche de Noël
Merry Christmas 2014
Holiday Brunch : The Lunchbox Season’s Panettone French Toast
The Lunchbox Season’s Family New Year’s Eve : The Hitchcock Edition
Advent 2014 Roundup
Advent 2013
THE LUNCHBOX SEASON’S FAMILY ADVENT CALENDAR 2013
KEY RECIPES AND PROJECTS
ADVENT 2013 ROLL CREDITS
Family Advent Calendar 2013, Advent Eve: Tree Trimming Party: Make Easy Gingerbread Garlands and Favourite Photo Ornaments
Family Advent Calendar, Day 1: Read & Illustrate As You Like It, Act I [Withe Some Alternate Options for the Little ones]
Family Advent Calendar, Day 2: Give a Bear Hug! Contribute to the World Wildlife Fund
Family Advent Calendar, Day 3: Make & Eat Honeycomb and Turkish Delight
Family Advent Calendar, Day 4: Write a Holiday Story Inspired by a Work of Art
Family Advent Calendar, Day 5: Make Christmas Cards! Draw Portraits of Santa in the Style of Modigliani, Kahlo, Klee & Etrog
Family Advent Calendar, Day 6: The Advent Film Festival begins with Pilsner Pretzels and a William Powell Double Bill My Man Godfrey & After the Thin Man
Family Advent Calendar, Day 7: Lego Christmas Party! Lego Christmas Building Challenges and Lego Christmas Cookies
Family Advent Calendar, Day 8: Read & Illustrate As You Like It, Act II
Family Advent Calendar, Day 9: Give Fruit Trees! Contribute to Plan Canada!
Family Advent Calendar, Day 10: Make and Eat Chewy Christmas Nougat [with Pistachios and Dried Cherries]
Family Advent Calendar, Day 11: A Percy Jackson Christmas? Improvise Christmas Scenes with some of your Favourit Fictional Character
Family Advent Calendar, Day 12: Make a Shadow Puppet Theatre and Christmas Shadow Puppets
Family Advent Calendar, Day 13: Watch Topper & His Girl Friday and Make Thin Crust Pizzas
Family Advent Calendar, Day 14: Make and Play Holiday Floor Scramble
Family Advent Calendar, Day 15: Read and Illustrate As You Like It, Act III
Family Advent Calendar, Day 16: Fill a Pantry! Donate to the Daily Bread Food Bank
Family Advent Calendar, Day 17: Make and Eat Soft Salted Caramels
Bonus Post: Our Pink Lemonade Jelly & Gochujang Pickles All Dressed Up For Giving
Family Advent Calendar, Day 18: It’s a Carol Off! Rewrite an Existing Christmas Carol or “Christmassify” a Popular Song
Family Advent Calendar, Day 19: Harry Potter Special! Design Your Own Patronus
Family Advent Calendar, Day 20: Watch The More the Merrier & The Talk of the Town and Make Punch & Judy Cookies
Family Advent Calendar, Day 21: Christmas Cookie Party! Make Chocolate Chocolate Chip Crinkle [Kringle] Cookies, Pfeffernüsse, and Other Old Favourites
Family Advent Calendar, Day 22: Read and Illustrate As You Like it, Acts IV & V
Family Advent Calendar, Day 23: Encourage Deep Breathing, Contribute to Cystic Fibrosis Canada
Family Advent Calendar, Day 24: Christmas Eve Checklikst and a Recipe for Lemon Bûche de Noël
Family Advent Calendar, Merry Christmas!
It’s a Lego Doctor Who Year’s Eve: Multi-Serial Marathon and Lego Building Challenges
Advent 2013 Roundup
Advent 2012
The Lunchbox Season’s “Shadowbox” Advent Calendar 2012
KEY RECIPES AND PROJECTS
ADVENT 2012 ROLL CREDITS
Advent Shadowbox 2012: An Introduction
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 1, Have a Tree Trimming Party, Make Cinnamon Glitter Ornaments and Favourite Photo Ornaments
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 2, Read & Illustrate The Winter’s Tale, Acts I-II
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 3, Support the World Wildlife Fund
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 4, Draw Blue-Prints of the House for Santa
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 5, Write & Perform Harry Potter Themed Christmas Carols & Make Butter Beer Blondies
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 6, Create Your Own Christmas-Themed “Clue”-Style Board Game
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 7, Begin our Friday Holiday Film Fest with an Unusual Double Feature & Make Kringle Corn
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 8, Holiday Canning & Test-Cookie Party, Kid-Friendly Thumbprint Cookies, Carrot Cake Jam & Cranberry Sauce
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 9, Read & Illustrate The Winter’s Tale, Acts II-III
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 10, Give a Beehive
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 11, Make a Christmas Collage Post-Card, Write a Memory Poem on the Back, & Send it to a Friend
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 12, Improvise a One-Act, Christmas-Themed Hunger Games Play
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 13, Learn “Who” to Knit, Begin a Family/Welcome-Guest Scarf Project
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 14, Watch Holiday (1938) and Make Prof. Potter’s “Hidden Whallop” Punch & Judy Cookies
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 15, Gingerbread Party, Design, Build, Decorate
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 16, Read & Illustrate The Winter’s Tale, Act IV
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 17, Fill a Pantry
How to Make Silhouettes from Digital Photos Using Free Online Photo-Editing Tools & a Printer/Scanner
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 18, Make Silhouette Self-Portrait Cards & Send Them to Family & Friends
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 19, Pre-Christmas-Concert Pizza Party with Quick & Easy Individual Thin Crust Pizzas
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 20, Make a Deck of Constellation Cards
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 21, Order Fish & Chips and Watch The Bishop’s Wife
Cannoli Buche de Noel
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 22, P.M. Pajama Party – Make Cookies for Santa
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 23: Read & Illustrate The Winter’s Tale, Act V
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Christmas Eve Checklist
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Merry Christmas
Perform & Record The Winter’s Tale (with bears and stuffies)
Lord Peter Wimsey’s Case Crackin’ New Years Eve Party
Advent 2012 Roundup
Advent 2011
THE LUNCHBOX SEASON’S “SHADOWBOX” ADVENT CALENDAR 2011
KEY RECIPES AND PROJECTS
ADVENT 2011 ROLL CREDITS
Advent Calendar 2011: A Shadowbox Spectacular
Advent Shadowbox: Day 1, Baking Cookies
Advent Shadowbox: Day 2, Daily Bread Food Bank
Advent Shadowbox: Day 3, Letter to a Friend
Advent Shadowbox: Day 4, A Birdseed Wreath
Advent Shadowbox: Day 5, Gratitude Ornaments
Advent Shadowbox: Day 6, Pancakes, Syrup, and a Classic Film
Advent Shadowbox: Day 7, Tree Trimming Party
Handmade Holidays: Favourite Photo Ornaments
Advent Shadowbox: Day 8, Gingerbread House
Advent Shadowbox: Day 9, St. Vincent de Paul Baskets
Advent Shadowbox: Day 10, Kids’ Newspapers
Advent Shadowbox: Day 11, Imagining Santa’s Workshop
Advent Shadowbox: Day 12, Afternoon Sundae Bar
Advent Shadowbox: Day 13, Movie, Lego, Mindfulness
Advent Shadowbox: Day 14, Salt Dough Ornaments
Advent Shadowbox: Day 15, “Christmassify” Your Jars, or Glam Cans Lab 2
Advent Shadowbox: Day 16, Have a Tree Planted
Advent Shadowbox: Day 17, Christmas Crack-ups
Advent Shadowbox: Day 18, Make Clove Oranges
Advent Shadowbox: Day 19, Rudolph Festival (Design Your Own “Misfit Toy“
Advent Shadowbox: Day 20, Festive After-School Spa
Advent Shadowbox: Day 21, Carol Hootenanny
Advent Shadowbox: Day 22, Trim Another Tree
Advent Shadowbox: Day 23, Library-in-a-Box for Haiti via PlanCanada.ca
Advent Shadowbox: Day 24, Carols to and from the Concert
Handmade Holidays: Great Lakes Handkerchiefs
Advent Shadowbox: Day 25, Elvis Dog and Reindeer Cookies
Handmade Holidays: Bookplates for Children
Advent Shadowbox: Day 26, Santa Baby Cookies
Homebaked Holidays: Bûche de Noël
Advent Shadowbox: Day 27, Allons au cinema
Advent Shadowbox: Christmas Eve Checklist
Advent Shadowbox: Merry Christmas
Last Minute New Years Eve: Sherlock Holmes Party and DIY Detective Kits
Advent 2011 Roundup
the POSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST…
