"Twelve Days Of Christmas: A Story And A Treat"
Day 1: A Christmas Family :: red envelope filled with chocolate coins
Day 2: Rudolph---That Amazing Reindeer :: reindeer marshmallows, pooping reindeer, Peep reindeer, or this cute idea from Betty Crocker Wannabe (she makes IBC root beer look like reindeer!) I bought a 2-liter bottle to try it on because there are seven people in the family I'm giving it to and IBC only comes in six packs!
Day 3: An Older Brother's Gift :: Lifesavers candy book
Day 4: The Other Wise Man :: Ring Pop Jewels or candy necklaces
Day 5: Christmas Day In The Morning :: Cow tales (I had a hard time finding these!) or Milky Ways (since he milks the cow). I also saw farm animal bubble tape that was cow-shaped.
Day 6: In Shepherd's Field :: Pooping sheep or farm animal bubble tape (there was a sheep too!)
Day 7: The Christmas Orange :: chocolate orange or gummy orange slices
Day 8: A Christmas Gift For Jesus :: Candy dollars. This year I found mints at Dollar Tree that are printed to look like money, but I saw chocolate dollar bars everywhere. I even saw a huge chocolate dollar at Walgreens that was about 10"x12". How cool would that be?
Day 9: Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect :: Peep Christmas trees, Reeses Peanut Butter Trees, Little Debbie Tree Cakes
Day 10: Christmas On The Rhine :: Little Debbie Gingerbread Men
Day 11: A Brother Like That :: race car candies. This is one candy that I had a hard time finding this year. I ended up getting "Cars" fruit snacks.
Day 12: The Legend of the Candy Cane :: candy canes...this one I know you will be able to find!
I had the best luck at places like Rite-Aid, Shopko, Dollar Tree, and local grocery stores. I wrapped each candy individually, rolled up the story for that day and attached a tag that says what day it is supposed to be opened.
And in case you don't care for one of the stories or just can't find something to go along with it, here is an extra story and treat idea:
EXAMPLE:
The Legend of the First Christmas Bell :: (chocolate bell candies)
The star shone brightly over Bethlehem, guiding the shepherds from the fields and the wise men from far-off lands to the stable of the newborn King. But, in the city, a small boy, blind and alone, wandered aimlessly through the streets hoping someone would lead him to the Christ Child.
Suddenly, through the still night air, he heard the faint tinkle of a distant bell. He turned and began walking in the direction of the sound. Gradually, its music became louder and clearer and he heard excited voices.
As he approached the stable, a shepherd took his hand and led him to the manger. The shepherd told him that the bell he heard hung around the neck of a cow watching faithfully over the sleeping Child.
The little boy knelt silently in prayer and thanked God for the Baby Jesus. And he didn't forget a special prayer for the animal that had led him out of the darkness. Since that first Christmas, bells have rung out the joy of the Birth, and called people to worship and prayer.
