Christmas: A season for giving

Christmas is a season for giving. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. In honor of this season I want to share this unique advent calendar with you!

Every day, instead of receiving a candy or some other small gift, your little ones can open their box and receive a simple challenge to serve someone in their lives. It is a way to give back to teachers, neighbors, doctors, friends, and family. It is also a way to teach our children the importance of being generous, of thinking of others more than themselves.

To create your own advent calendar print the calendar front and back on card stock.

If you want to have a “lift the flap” calendar then you need to cut across the bottom and sides of each square of the “front page”. DO NOT cut across the top as the box will not be attached any longer. Then glue the edges of your calendar to the back page so that every time you lift a flap you can see them image underneath.

If you are not big on cutting and crafting it is no biggie! Just print out both sheets and staple them together attaching only the top two edges. Then hang it on your fridge or somewhere you and your family can easily see it every day. Each day just lift up the front page to see your act of giving for the day. As you finish them you can lightly X them off so that you move on to the next date.

There is also a blank back page that you can print out and fill in your own acts of giving, creating things that apply more closely to your family’s life (not everyone has grandparents or siblings for example, so you can create your own ways of giving to those around you).

I hope that you will start a new tradition as a family! Make December a month of giving. Let’s show our kids our to think of others and to give love and kindness daily!