Each year around the Holidays I start to think about an advent calendar. When the kids were younger I just went to Trader Joe's and picked up cheap ones, then a few years ago I started making my own. One thing always remained the same, they all involved candy and they all involve the kids "getting" something. Every year I try to keep my kids from the idea that Christmas is all about gifts but man it is seriously hard to compete with the marketing ploys going on right now.This year things are going to be different! It all started with a cool idea that popped up on my Facebook news feed the other day. I loved this idea of the advent calendar being about actions instead of treats from The Artful Parent, I thought this was so different but I wanted to take it a step further for my older children. What we decided to come up with was a community service type of advent. We have some pretty tall orders on ours, plus along with the fact that we are moving over Christmas and I have a new job we had to end our list at 15 but we plan on adding family events in to fill the 25 day calendar. Some of these family "events' might include driving boxes to our new place but that is ok.
There isn't much point in decorating or getting a tree when you are moving so our advent will pretty much be our only decoration. I thought what we came up with was pretty cool and we are excited to put our list into actions.
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Our list of Christmas doing includes:
Pick up trash outside
Make a meal for a family
Donate coats
Donate hats to a school
Hand out homemade Holiday cards to strangers to help spread some cheer
Visit with someone in a senior center
Volunteer at a shelter
Shovel snow for an elderly neighbor (if it snows)
Make a care package for a soldier over seas
Leave a small gift at a strangers house
Raise money for a local charity
Help a family in need
Spread love through out the season and everyday (sounds simple, but this might be the most challenging
Go caroling
Call as many family members as we can (even the ones we haven't spoken to in years) and wish them a Merry Christmas.
The list feels a little overwhelming but I know that if our family works together we can pull it off and really grow together in the process. Happy Holidays!!!!
I was thinking of a great fit for you after a conversation I had with my mom... Shes a social worker & on her way out the door for tgiving a coworker asked her for families he could give turkeys to. She said this is always a challenge for her because lots of the families are so used to processed food that she has to think of someone who can use it & know what to do with (she's seen many rotting in frigs). You could teach a family all the things to do w a turkey!
ReplyDeleteMy friends dad volunteers at st joes in new London. He likes it there. And my mom has visited her neighbor & a high schooler was in doing nails. I've heard positive thngs about them.
Oh, and for the overseas soldier the new London & hortonville vfw is sending packages - and can be dropped off at festival, American legion, post offices, and other businesses in hortonville... I donated some Christmas music which was on their list.... Socks & coffee were the only otters I remember
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