Advent Acts of Kindness: Day 5

This is the sixth in a series of posts on "Advent Acts of Kindness." Advent, the period of time leading up to Christmas, is a period of reflection and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Historically, this meant a period of fasting, charity, and penance to ready the soul. Fasting isn't really part of the preparation anymore, but charity and penance still are. So while Advent calendars are a convenient way to count down the remaining days until Christmas, the season is marked by more than decorating and wrapping gifts. Even if all the rest of your tasks are done, you're not ready if your mind and heart aren't ready.

One great way to truly prepare for Christmas is to show kindness towards others, especially those less fortunate. With this in mind, I thought I'd put together a list of ideas for small acts of kindness and post one each day throughout Advent. I did this partly for selfish reasons, because I want to start a tradition of Advent Acts of Kindness for my own family, and partly because I thought you lovely readers would enjoy it!

Advent Act of Kindness #6: Think outside the box when donating to your local shelter. One of the most creative drives I ever heard about was for a women's shelter here in town, and took place when I was in college. A group on campus was collecting razors, shaving cream, deodorant, tampons, pads and other necessities for women who had left their homes as domestic violence victims. While it's not necessarily the first need that comes to mind when you think about a homeless person, these basic necessities are welcome donations. Soap, shampoo, underwear, socks, and gloves are also needed - check with your local shelter or your church to see exactly what's needed in your area. Coupons can be helpful here, or you can hit up your local dollar store, or even check in your own home - chances are you have some unused toiletries that could brighten someone's day more than you can imagine!

Advent Acts of Kindness: Day 4

This is the fourth in a series of posts on "Advent Acts of Kindness." Advent, the period of time leading up to Christmas, is a period of reflection and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Historically, this meant a period of fasting, charity, and penance to ready the soul. Fasting isn't really part of the preparation anymore, but charity and penance still are. So while Advent calendars are a convenient way to count down the remaining days until Christmas, the season is marked by more than decorating and wrapping gifts. Even if all the rest of your tasks are done, you're not ready if your mind and heart aren't ready.

One great way to truly prepare for Christmas is to show kindness towards others, especially those less fortunate. With this in mind, I thought I'd put together a list of ideas for small acts of kindness and post one each day throughout Advent. I did this partly for selfish reasons, because I want to start a tradition of Advent Acts of Kindness for my own family, and partly because I thought you lovely readers would enjoy it. 

Advent Act of Kindness #4: Pick something up that you didn't drop. This one might sound a little weird, but bear with me. It's easy to just let a shirt fall off a hanger or knock something off a shelf and go on your way when you're shopping. After all, you have things to do, and someone gets paid to pick those things up. But think about it. Unless there is one employee doing nothing but following customers around and picking up after them, it's going to take a little while to get that shirt or box picked up and put back. This time of year, it probably will take even longer. In the meantime, the store becomes a mess, and that doesn't really add to the civilized society we'd all prefer to live in.

Obviously, it's impractical to pick up some dropped items, since you may not know where they go. But if you see something on the shelf that's obviously out of place, you can always take it along to the checkstand with you and give it to the cashier - this at least hastens its return. If you see a piece of clothing sliding off the hanger, you can put it back. I've worked in a store since I was a year out of high school, and I can tell you that putting things back in the right place at the end of the day takes time. I'm sure a busy store employee would be very glad to see someone not only picking up after themselves, but picking up after someone else as well. I know I would be!

I hope you all are enjoying your Sunday! Happy second Sunday of Advent!

Advent Acts of Kindness: Day 3 - a giveaway!

This is the third in a series of posts on "Advent Acts of Kindness." Advent, the period of time leading up to Christmas, is a period of reflection and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Historically, this meant a period of fasting, charity, and penance to ready the soul. Fasting isn't really part of the preparation anymore, but charity and penance still are. So while Advent calendars are a convenient way to count down the remaining days until Christmas, the season is marked by more than decorating and wrapping gifts. Even if all the rest of your tasks are done, you're not ready if your mind and heart aren't ready.

One great way to truly prepare for Christmas is to show kindness towards others, especially those less fortunate. With this in mind, I thought I'd put together a list of ideas for small acts of kindness and post one each day throughout Advent. I did this partly for selfish reasons, because I want to start a tradition of Advent Acts of Kindness for my own family, and partly because I thought you lovely readers would enjoy it!

Note: while this is actually the fifth day in this series, this is only the third post. Life intervened this week, and I didn't get a chance to post Tuesday or Wednesday. I've loved reading all your comments, though! I decided to jazz this one up a bit, so it's a giveaway! See below for the details.

Advent Act of Kindness #3: Take some cookies (or brownies, or even lasagna!) to a neighbor. Since entering into "grownup" life, my observation has been that people don't interact with their neighbors very much on a day to day basis. What better time to change this than Advent? We are called to love our neighbors, and it's awfully hard to truly love someone if you don't share more than a quick "Hi" more than once or twice a year. 

Drop off your goodies on a paper plate or in a foil pan - that way you don't need to worry about getting it back. You can add a nice note or a little card with Christmas wishes on top. Make sure everything is waterproof, and try to time it so they will find the gift fairly soon after you leave it. If they have cats (or there are lots of neighborhood kitties) simply bring your gift when they are home and give it in person, or attempt to make your wrappings cat-proof - maybe a cardboard box? I've never had cats, so if you have any tips here, please feel free to comment below with your suggestions!

I'd love to hear your favorite recipe for holiday goodies to give away! Comment below with your favorite, and I'll pick one of you to win some cookie cutters! Giveaway closes at midnight Pacific Time on Saturday. 

Advent Acts of Kindness: Day 2

This is the second in a series of posts on "Advent Acts of Kindness." Advent, the period of time leading up to Christmas, is a period of reflection and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Historically, this meant a period of fasting, charity, and penance to ready the soul. Fasting isn't really part of the preparation anymore, but charity and penance still are. So while Advent calendars are a convenient way to count down the remaining days until Christmas, the season is marked by more than decorating and wrapping gifts. Even if all the rest of your tasks are done, you're not ready if your mind and heart aren't ready.

One great way to truly prepare for Christmas is to show kindness towards others, especially those less fortunate. With this in mind, I thought I'd put together a list of ideas for small acts of kindness and post one each day throughout Advent. I did this partly for selfish reasons, because I want to start a tradition of Advent Acts of Kindness for my own family, and partly because I thought you lovely readers would enjoy it. 

Advent Act of Kindness #2: Smile at a stranger, and then pray for them later in the day. You never know what kind of struggle someone is having. Your smile could be the boost they need to get through the day, and your prayers could help them immensely later on. 

Advent Acts of Kindness: Day 1

This is the first in a series of posts on "Advent Acts of Kindness." Advent, the period of time leading up to Christmas, is a period of reflection and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Historically, this meant a period of fasting, charity, and penance to ready the soul. Fasting isn't really part of the preparation anymore, but charity and penance still are. So while Advent calendars are a convenient way to count down the remaining days until Christmas, the season is marked by more than decorating and wrapping gifts. Even if all the rest of your tasks are done, you're not ready if your mind and heart aren't ready.

One great way to truly prepare for Christmas is to show kindness towards others, especially those less fortunate. With this in mind, I thought I'd put together a list of ideas for small acts of kindness and post one each day throughout Advent. I did this partly for selfish reasons, because I want to start a tradition of Advent Acts of Kindness for my own family, and partly because I thought you lovely readers would enjoy the ideas - and I do hope you enjoy them!

Advent Act of Kindness #1: Take advantage of a canned food sale and buy extra to donate to your local food bank. Most grocery stores run weekly ads in the newspaper, or you can pick up a copy near the door when you go shopping. Food banks always need a variety of foods, and demand is especially high this time of year. If you're unsure what is needed, you can call and ask. This week in my town (you can check to see if something similar is planned in yours) it's especially easy to donate because the mailmen are picking up food donations on Saturday - all you have to do is leave the donations for them to pick up!

I hope you all had a blessed first Sunday of Advent!