)
I touched on the subject of Advent calendars last year, but today I want to expand on the topic by including a detailed list. I like lists. 
As I mentioned our Advent house (which I bought at Target a few years ago by the way) was once filled with little pieces of highly processed candy, gum, chocolate, etc. I used to even let my girls open the doors and eat the junk before breakfast. This was just three years ago…wow, have times changed!
So anyway, I moved away from the candy for obvious reasons, and started going on these intense retail hunts looking for little toys that were tiny enough to fit behind those doors. This was no easy task, and to top it off that stuff really was just “junk” too since they were mainly little plastic items made in China that our children quickly forgot about or lost. So I no longer feel like racing around town and spending time/money on little knickknacks our kids honestly do not need. And I also don’t feel it’s necessary to fill this little house with organic less-junky candy (that is still candy by the way) during an already sugary time of year.
So inspired by This Lunch Rox, below is the official list for our newly renamed “Giving House.” And the criteria for these ideas were basically random acts of kindness that you could perform without having to go somewhere special (like a shelter or hospital). Of course going to such places on a regular basis would be fabulous in an ideal world, but I know how it is around the holidays so I personally did not want to over-commit during an already busy time! My girls seem to be okay with this change so far, and I am even including a free business card sized “printable” version of this list in case you want to follow suit and simply cut out these ideas for your own Advent calendar as well. I’d love to hear any other Advent ideas and suggestions in the comments below!
I also want to take a moment to tell you about one of our newest sponsors, Tribe Wellness. I’ve been following their Facebook page myself and have really been enjoying it…you can find lots of helpful and practical real food tips there. If you want to cut out processed food, but you’re not sure where (or how) to start Tribe Wellness has programs to get you on track. Through one-on-one consultations they can help you: Understand the facts, figure out your first steps, transition your “picky eaters,” get your spouses and other family members on board, stay on budget, and learn how a busy family can juggle it all (stressful jobs, busy lives) while finding time to cook. These telephone consultations also include a family nutritional assessment, education, Q&A, and a customized clean eating plan. Sounds good to me!
Our New Advent “Giving House” List
- Mail a card to a relative that you have not spoken to in a while.
- Do something especially nice and out of the ordinary for your sister or brother.
- Write a letter to your teacher telling them what you most like about his or her class.
- Give someone a nice compliment they wouldn’t normally expect.
- Pack your own school lunch so mommy can take the night off.
- Go out of your way to “help” another child or adult.
- Play with a friend at school that is alone at recess.
- Choose 2 or 3 non-perishable food items that you can set aside to donate to a local food bank.
- Write a thank you note to someone who has helped you recently.
- Cut some flowers out of your yard (or make flowers out of tissue paper) and give them to either a teacher at your school or a neighbor.
- Sit with someone different at lunch that you don’t know very well (and get to know them!).
- Decorate cards that you can mail to children who are sick and in some cases fighting cancer (cards can also be sent to their siblings).
- If you see a piece of trash on the ground (at home, school, or outside) pick it up and throw it away…be sure to wash your hands afterward!
- Choose at least one article of clothing to donate to Goodwill or a child in need.
- Email your congressman or the President asking them to consider an issue that you feel is important for your community.
- Make a small craft and mail it to one of your cousins.
- When you get to school ask your teacher if there is something you can do to help him or her in order to get the morning started.
- Tell each member of your immediate family what you love about them.
- Choose at least one toy or book to donate to Goodwill or a child in need.
- Offer to take one of your neighbor’s dogs (or your own dog) for a walk.
- Do a chore around the house that no one has asked you to do, but that needs to be done!
- Call one of your grandparents on the phone (or facetime/skype!).
- Write a letter to a soldier thanking him or her for serving our country.
- With your parents help research a charity you can either donate money to or support through a future event (like a “fun run” or soup kitchen). Put it on the calendar and commit to it.
- Give everyone in your family a big {squeeze} hug and kiss and tell them what you are thankful for.
Love your idea of giving to others. We’ve done something similar giving to others, but kept it in the family. I write up things that I appreciate in each of my children (2, so 12 different things for each of them) on a small piece of paper and stuff one in each little compartment and would add a Hershey’s Kiss or Reeses’ Peanut Butter Cup to remind them to stay sweet. They really look forward to the words of praise and walk a little taller each day.
Wishing everyone a holiday season full of blessings! Keep up the great website!
[...] her blog Real Food Tips: Advent Calendars (without candy!) Lisa discusses how she has helped her kids transition from the candy eaten (often before [...]
I love that you shared your creative idea for advent calendar. In case someone doesn’t feel they have the time to even do these things, I’ll share what we did when our kids were little.
We had wooden cut-out of a Christmas tree shape with teeny little nails all over it. Someone made this for a craft fair so there were dough mini ornaments with a loop of wire glued to the back. You could easily find little items that would work as ornaments. The tree was about 8″ and glued to a backer board that had more teeny nails numbered for the day. So each day the children got a turn to place an ornament on that little tree.
Have fun!
I have also heard of putting in just a nice activity to do together, like read a story together, sing a Christmas carol together, make tonight’s bath a bubble bath instead of a regular bath, color with chalk outside together, etc.
Love this idea! THANKS so much for sharing! I just printed the cards! Thanks again and Merry Christmas!
Why do you refer to “junk toys from China”. Junk toys are junk toys. Just as junk food is junk food, whether it’s from China or Indiana junk is junk.
I am not exactly sure what the definition of “junk toy” is. But maybe Lisa referred to all those little poorly made “junky” things you collect over the course of time, preferably with goodie bags (hint to Lisa: please write a post about goodie bags at birthday parties; my experience is, that those bags contain the worst-of-the-worst of all toys and candies you can find on our earth).
However, there are “non-junkie” little plastic thingies out, for instance Playmobil (German company) has wonderful little figurines or Schleich (German company also) animals and so on.
I make a big santa face with his beard being a calander, then hang it up. Each night before bed we fill in a number by gluing in cotton balls, and by christmas santa has a full cotton ball beard! My mom did this for me when I was a kid, and now I do it with my kids. I never even heard of an advent calander until I married my husband and my german mother-in-law gave us one.
This is such an awesome idea! There are always so many sweets around the holiday season. My mom always gives me bags of candy at Christmas, and I asked her not to this year. I don’t want all that refined sugar (and knowing me, I’d have it all eaten in like two days).
I love that so many of these involve doing nice things for others. That’s what people should focus on this season anyway, not getting short-lived gratification through gifts.
Thank you so much for posting this! We have been doing this the last four days and my 9 year old (who hates to write anything) has been excited to do the tasks. He even found his own card and had the first one done within minutes of opening it. He happily wrote a letter to his teacher after school yesterday and is excited to not only compliment one person today, he has decided to make it a challenge to see how many people he can compliment. I can’t thank you enough for posting this easy to put together list!
This year I have taken to leaving notes that direct them where to go to find a special ornament or craft project. Not nearly as noble as yours, but I too, just don’t want the whole candy thing going on. Sometimes, in order to find the card with the instructions, they have to say a prayer or their memory verse first. This is the first year for this and they love it, but I am afraid I may run out of rhymes and creativity. Your list gives me more ideas…Thanks!
I loved your list of ideas for the “Giving House” and decided to do it with my 3 kids. We had an absolute blast with it. I cut out the cards, folded them & deposited them in a mason jar with a gold ribbon… and the “Giving Jar” was born. My kids took turns drawing one out each day. I have to say it was one of my favorite things about the Christmas season, and it was a joy to see how they were transformed by these little acts of kindness. Thank you so much for sharing your idea & for doing such a phenomenal job with this blog.