I’m blaming it on the wacky pregnancy hormones, but I am possessed by this extreme desire to amp up the kindness this Christmas.
At the same time, I’m also on this crazy mission to declutter my house (Hello, Nesting!)
Organise the wardrobes! Cull the kids’ toy collection! Clean the pantry!

So I’m just going to roll with it.
This Christmas, I’m going to focus on acts of kindness (when I actually manage to get out of the house) and organising my house (when I’m stuck at home. Which, let’s face it- with 2 kids under 3 and an ever-expanding belly, it’s sometimes easier just to stay at home.)

I’ve created an Advent of Giving and Decluttering to help get me there.
Yep, I know that an Advent usually consists of 24 items.
But who needs that kind of pressure at this time of the year?
Crossing something off every two days or so feels much more manageable. We all need some breathing space at this time of the year, amirite?

So here it is…….

Click here for a printable version to make your own advent.

Create some Christmas cards and send them to strangers

It’s that time of the year when the kids’ artwork comes home from school and daycare.
We’re going to chop and glue and collage our artwork and create some cards with generic, handwritten messages.
We’ll then drop them into a local nursing home for people who may not receive many cards at this time of year.
Or try some spin art Christmas cards.

Fill a handbag for a woman in need

I’m filling one for the #itsinthebag campaign.
Call a local Womens’ Refuge and see if they’re in need of anything.

Clear out the pantry and donate to a food drive

My school collects non-perishable foods for the Exodus Foundation.
I’m clearing out my pantry and lugging in packaged goods to pass on.
Find a local food drive in your area.

Download all the photos from your phone

4476.That’s the number of photos on my phone.
I’m going to dedicate a kiddy naptime to clearing my phone’s photo album and semi-organising them on my desktop. Thus allowing me to take 4000 photos on Christmas Day.

Scatter some kindness notes

Leave some happy, positive (anonymous) notes around the place.
In the staffroom. In the library books you’re returning. At a cafe.

Organise the toy boxes and donate unwanted toys

Get the kids involved with this one. Cull the toy collection and donate toys to a charity like the Dandelion Support Network.

Bake something and share it with someone

Food makes the world a happier place. Sharing food makes it even happier.
Bake something and share it with your workmates. Postie. Neighbour.
And look, no one is going to judge you if you don’t bake it yourself.

Clear out the wardrobes and donate old clothes

Pretty self-explanatory this one.

Organise the bookshelves and donate unwanted books

Donate them to a local playgroup. A doctors surgery. Or try one of these organisations.

Fill a pencil case for a child in need

1 in 7 kids in NSW are living in poverty and turn up to school without the necessary stationery to learn. Check out the amazing work of Got a Pen?

Call out all awesomeness you see for a day

Choose a day and focus on noticing people being awesome. And then compliment them on it!

Pay for a stranger’s coffee

How much better would your day be if you discovered that somebody had paid for your morning coffee?

Anything else you’d add?
I’d love to see if you do any of these activities! Share away and tag #ohcreativechristmas