An Advent Hashtag We Can All Get Behind #ActInAdvent

Advent is coming faster than we realize and this year I need your help to make it an extra special season of giving and spreading kindness.

A few years ago a good friend of mine started Act In Advent on her Facebook page. The first year, she did one act a day during Advent. The next year she invited her friends to help and sign up for a day. It was just something for her friends, a way to remind us that the season wasn’t about the commercialization but about giving. A way to hold us accountable to act in service of others. I really enjoyed taking part in it. She’s not able to organize it again and I asked her if I could continue the momentum.

What is Advent?

Do you know what Advent is? Christians celebrate it during the four weeks leading up to Christmas. It’s a time to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. A time for reflection and a time for action.

Even outside of a church setting, Advent Calendars and Advent wreaths with four candles representing the four Sunday’s during Advent are everywhere during the holiday season.

Act in Advent

My Dad always said the secret to a happy life was the 5 F’s – Faith, Family, Friends, Food and Fun. It’s been something I’ve tried to live by and the basis for this blog. But the faith part is something that I’m not really comfortable talking about. I have my own relationship with God and I have my own beliefs (and struggles) with my Catholic faith but it’s personal to me. Not really something I openly discuss.

That’s just me and I completely respect people who like to share their faith – whatever it is. I think there is strength in our differences, we can all learn from each other and I love that people are comfortable sharing – this is a judgement free zone.

So with that being said, Act in Advent isn’t about me getting on here and preaching. It’s not about any one church or even any one religion. It’s about us coming together to do some good during this holiday season.

This is how it works. Sign up now for a day during the Advent season and do something good that day. Take one day or take more, whatever you feel comfortable with completing. It’s really that simple. It doesn’t have to cost you anything or much at all. Act in Advent is about acts of service to others, not elaborate or expensive gestures. Kindness can be free.

Then share it! Use #ActinAdvent but remember that the reason behind the social sharing isn’t for praise – it’s an effort to spread the kindness. You don’t even have to share WHAT you did – just that you did something and encourage others to spread that kindness.

#ActInAdvent Ideas

We’ve started the tradition of the Kindness Elves during the holidays (instead of Elf on the Shelf) and they are always encouraging our girls to do kind acts during this season. This post has some great ideas but here are some other Act in Advent ideas you can do in your own community. These small acts are a great way to get the entire family involved and provides an opportunity to model for them the type of adult you want them to grow into.

Volunteer at a soup kitchen
Make Kindness Bags with your family or friends
Buy the order for the person behind you at Starbucks
Drop off a poinsettia at your local nursing home
Make cards for the troops
Bring supplies to a local homeless shelter
Purge your toys and donate them to a local charity
Adopt a family for Christmas
Make cookies for a neighbor
Leave a thank you note for your postal worker
Donate old blankets and linens to your local animal shelter
Tape a bag with quarters and laundry soap to a machine at your local laundry mat.

I’d love to fill up this entire sign up form with people committed to one day of #ActInAdvent. Share this post and get your friends or community on board. I can’t wait to see all the good we are able to spread this holiday season.