Celebrating Advent/Christmas with Young Children

You'd think that having a seminary education and being a member of the clergy, my home would be a model of Christian discipleship and my children would be able to recite creeds and Bible verses backwards and forwards before they entered preschool. I hate to burst your bubble, but that's just not the case. James and I certainly believe that it is essential for us to share our faith with our children, both through modeling and teaching. However, like so many of us, sometimes the best intentions are left by the wayside in the flurry of life. That's not to say that our life together is absent of spirituality. We pray together at every meal, we are actively involved in a local church, we encourage Susanna to "talk to God" anytime she feels like it (especially if she's scared or lonely), and I read Susanna a Bible story every night and a little prayer book. Her preschool is affiliated with our church, and I know she's getting spiritual nurture there, too. Greg is still young, but we will add in these things with him as he gets older.

I still feel like I certainly could be more intentional about the spiritual formation of our children. (I'm using  "I" because I'm the one who spends the most time with them, not because I'm totally leaving James out of the equation. He's often the one who gets my butt in gear and reminds me of the importance of these things.)  So, I thought that Advent would be a great time to begin putting my money where my mouth is. I owe this inspiration largely to Emily, who is also trying to think of ways to make this season more meaningful for young children.

So, here are some of my (very tentative) plans, and what we're already done. There is secular stuff mixed in with the sacred, but I don't see any harm in that, as long as we place the focus on the real meaning of the season (HINT: It's the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, the son of God, God in human flesh, the Light of the World, etc):

1. This week we're decorating the inside and outside of the house for Christmas, including putting up the tree. Susanna mostly followed us around while we did this, but we talked to her about what we were doing, about Christmas and preparing for Jesus' birth, and how some of our ornaments have special significance (like the one we bought for our first Christmas as a married couple, the one for Susanna's first Christmas, some of the ornaments I made as a little girl, etc). 
2. We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Laugh if you want, but I consider it a sacred tradition.
3. In two weeks, our church is having a special Christmas activity for children, featuring breakfast, pictures with Santa, an opportunity to shop for (previously wrapped) presents, etc. 
4. On the 17th, Susanna's preschool is having a "Birthday party for Jesus", including a Christmas program. OH THE CUTENESS.
5. We live an hour from Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and when we renewed our season passes, received three free tickets to Christmas Town, their holiday celebration. We're planning on going to that. 
6. Years and years ago, my mom made this beautiful Advent calendar. She gave it to me after we got married. I'm going to find it (we hung it up a few years ago, but haven't for the past two years) and hang it up somewhere in our house. There are 25 little flannel "ornaments" that are attached via velcro, with #25 being baby Jesus. The main part of the calendar is a Christmas tree. The idea is, that each day of December you add one more figure to the Christmas tree, with baby Jesus being the final figured added. I figure it might be a neat activity to do with Susanna (and Greg, but he'll be mostly watching) each night. 
7. Somewhere I have an Advent wreath, or maybe I'll just go and buy one (I haven't been to Cokesbury in a while! They must miss me!). Each night at dinner, we can light the appropriate candle for that week and maybe read a Bible verse. 
8. I'll read Susanna and Greg The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve. I'll also see what other Christmas books the preschool library has. 
9. Watching Christmas movies a few times a week, such as "The Muppet Christmas Carol". 
10. I can download some Christmas music from iTunes and see what Christmas CDs we have and simply listen to them together.
11. Our church has an "Angel Tree" program and I thought that maybe we could do that as a sort of service project. 

I'm keeping my expectations low, both for myself and for Susanna (again, at 10 months old, I'm not expecting much active participation from Greg). I really believe that so much of early faith formation is planting seeds and nurturing faith. My kids might not "get" it right now, but it is my hope and prayer that if we're consistent, then the seeds will eventually sprout and grow.

Anyone have any other ideas? This is sort of off the top of my head, so I haven't done much research. And I'm not exactly an expert in children's ministry, either.