Act of kindness #24: Kindness Advent Calendar (2016)

It’s almost that time of year again… time to spread a little festive kindness.

My Kindness Advent Calendar works just like a normal advent calendar but instead of the usual chocolate countdown, we are embracing the true spirit of Christmas by doing 25 random acts of Christmas kindness.

How cool is that 🙂

I was wonderfully surprised and deeply thrilled that last year’s Kindness Advent Calendar (2015) was so well received.With just over 200 downloads, I’d like to give a huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone who took part.

I guarantee that your acts of kindness made a difference and brightened someone else’s day.

☆ You are AMAZING ☆

So again, I’d like to invite lovely you and yours to join me spreading a little kindness by doing small acts kindness leading up to Christmas Day.

Here’s this year’s Kindness Advent Calendar:

kindness-advent-calender

To download your free copy, please click on this link Kindness-Advent-Calendar-2016-PDF.pdf (1707610 downloads) .

Now, I know December is an extra busy month for most of us, and we can find ourselves rushing around trying to get everything ready in time for the Christmas holidays.

So with that in mind, I’ve made each kindness act:
1. Quick
2. Easy
3. Cheap (or mostly free!)

This way, anyone and everyone can take part.

You may want to mix it up and swap the acts around, or even create your own kindness acts. And don’t worry if you can’t do an act of kindness every single day, sometimes it’s just not possible as I know too well with the nature of my CFS flare ups.

But even if every one of us manages to do just one kindness act on one day – imagine how amazing that would be!

It’s such a wonderful way to spread some festive cheer and boost our own spirits at the same time.

But I really need your help.

Please help me spread the word by encouraging family, friends, colleagues and neighbours to take part in this kindness extravaganza as we countdown to Christmas.

I’d be ever so grateful if you could share this blog post with others – simply click on one of the ‘share’ buttons below, or share it however works best for you – and let’s get the kindness ripple effect reaching out far and wide over the festive season.

I’d also love it if we all share our Random Acts of Christmas Kindness experiences with others on my Spreading a little kindness Facebook page.

JUST ADDED: A few clever folk have suggested I get onto Twitter to help keep the kindness ripple effect spreading further and further. I’m a complete novice, but have set up the hashtags #KindnessAdventCalendar and #ChristmasKindness so we can share our festive kindness fun. You can find me on Twitter here.

But most of all, remember to HAVE FUN and enjoy creating a kindness ripple effect in your community.

Thank you so very much.

☆♡☆

To download your free copy of my Kindness Advent Calendar, please click on this link: Kindness-Advent-Calendar-2016-PDF.pdf (1707610 downloads)

☆♡☆

p.s. I’d love to hear about your kindness experiences in the comments below…

 

208 thoughts on “Act of kindness #24: Kindness Advent Calendar (2016)”

  1. Hi Helen. I found this thru a friend’s fb post a little late. No matter, I still conscientiously do something nice everyday. It’s almost second nature, you know? So my question is, how do we get a heads up or find your ARAOK for the following years? I’m looking forward to reading the ‘end results’ from participants! And hope everyone converts it to everyday. And so on, and so on. Thank you for putting this out there to drive people to RAOK everyday.

    1. Hello lovely Kat, thank you for your kindness ♡ I get my RAOK ideas from all over really, and think what I’d like to do. I’ve just posted a Kindness Calendar for January and would love for you to join in if you can. Hugs to you Xxx

  2. this is fab, i will try to do next years, i actually have a free app that sometimes offers free food, for example this week i could have got 15 jars of baby food! you buy it and photograph the receipt and get the money back. i found 5 jars (had to be certain ones) and gave them to a friend for her friend but i was going to give to a food bank. the app is checkout smart incase you are interested. i also got free mince pies which im taking to work 😀

    1. Thank you so much for sharing this Emma, I love your blog post ♡ it’s brilliant that you’re adapting the acts and I love your ideas. Thank you for spreading a little more kindness – Dickens would be very proud of you 🙂

    1. Do you have a link to your TV spot? I haven’t been able to find it. Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful calendar with us.

      1. Thank you so much for your kind words Anita 🙂

        I’m afraid I don’t yet – the TV station are trying to sort out a provider for their catch up service. I will post the link as soon as I get it Xxx

  3. Thank you so much for posting this calendar! I do try to perform RAKs regularly, but focusing on performing at least one a day during what is normally a very stressful time of year, has truly kept my heart light and put me more into the Christmas spirit then I have been in years!

  4. I love this. I have also told myself that I would try to think about someone else, and so something for another person, every day leading up to Christmas. Whether it was putting up some lights for an elderly person so they could have some Christmas cheer, calling someone on the phone, helping with a small town childrens and adults Christmas party, just thinking and doing something for someone else every day…is really the true way to prepare our hearts for the beautiful reason for Christmas, the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. I do like the idea where we need to include ourselves with a little bit of being thought about as well!! Merry Christmas to all!!

    1. Thank you Linda for sharing, you have some lovely ideas there and yes, it’s very important to be kind to ourselves as well

  5. Thank you very much for sharing this with us. I have shared it on Facebook and have put it up as a challenge at my place of work. I think it is an absolutely wonderful idea. Great for the whole family–and a fun way to get the children involved.

    1. You’re very welcome Anita, and thank you for sharing – I love the idea of your work challenge ♡ Looking forward to hearing how everyone gets on…

  6. What a truly wonderful idea, Helen. We should all show as much kindness as we can at Christmas but not forgetting all year round also.

  7. I’m sharing it with a mindfulness meditation group I facilitate; out nest session is specifically focused on loving kindness and compassion in preparation for the Christmas and holiday season. I have also shared it on FB. Thank for for developing this wonderful idea. Jill

    1. That’s wonderful Jill,and perfect timing for the theme of your next mindfulness mediation group ♡ Thank you for speading a little more kindness ☆

  8. Thank you a lot, really!!!!
    As a directeur off a non profit organisation in Québec, Canada i had to translate it to french !!!!
    Our volunteers do over 4500 hours a year, and i’m the only full time !
    So thank you for the good in all of you !!!
    I would like to send you our calendar
    You can find us on facebook or tweeter
    @lepetitpeuple
    #Le_PetitPeuple

    1. You’re very welcome and thank you so much for translating it into French. Would you mind if I shared it on my kindness community facebook page? Thank you ♡

  9. Hello from Ontario, Canada. Just saw your Advent calendar now. I think it is a wonderful idea. I will try my best and I will share.

  10. Hi – on my second day – I bought a massive Jammie dodger ( it’s a type of sandwich cookie) for my colleague who has just found out she has breast cancer (out look is good) when she saw it she started to cry :-s – she told me that her father always bought her these as a child when she was sick – her dad is no longer with us. I never imagine this would be the response but it made her really happy.

    1. Oh wow, thank you for sharing your story Sarah, and for your beautifully poignant choice in sweet treat for your friend – I’m relieved to hear the outlook is positive. Hugs to you both ☆

  11. Loving this in Pittsburgh, PA, USA! Shared it on Facebook with a caveat on #23. Instead of wasting money on a lottery ticket (just a tax on people who can’t do math, IMHO – LOL), do something kind for your future self by upping your contribution to your retirement account by 1%. In the US, that would probably be a 401(k) through your workplace. 🙂

  12. Helen, All for Random Acts of Kindness… downloaded and shared, chocolate bar purchased… have a fabulous Christmas!!! 🙂 x

  13. Today I bought lunch for a homeless lady who was selling the Big Issue. It was very cold and she wasn’t making many sales. I did this before seeing this calendar. It is a good habit to get into to do 1 nice thing every day anyway. It really is easier than you think.

    1. That’s a beautiful act of kindness, thank you Lyn ♡ I agree that once you’re in the habit it becomes easier and more natural. Hugs to you Xxx

  14. This is a brilliant idea on how to remind us daily to be kind!
    Thank you!!!
    ps. Next year could you sell this as a placemat? I would buy them!

    1. Thank you so much Marg, your comment has made me smile 🙂 Love the idea of a placement, let’s see what happens! Hugs to you ♡

      1. Helen I just read why you are on this journey, how encouraging to others! But I would like to encourage you, having been sick many years with many labels, a healing process came over me when I chose to start daily appreciating, acting, praying and seeking kindness. Overtime my body has healed. I thank God for everything! I pray your journey finds you amazed, as well. Merry Christmas!

        1. Thank you for sharing your story Marg, and I’m so happy you found your healing path. Focusing on gratitude, mindfulness and kindness is having a powerfully positive impact on me too. Hugs to you ♡

  15. Such a super-cute idea, I’m going to do it for sure! I’d like to translate it in Italian as well, if you like I can send you the file and you can put it on the siteweb 🙂

  16. I had already started something similar just yesterday and this showed up on my Facebook page today! For the next 24 days, when I see a random act of kindness or someone being helpful, they will be presented with a homemade bar of soap. A small thing but it’s the small things that matter.

    1. That’s a lovely idea Judy ☆ I agree that it’s the small things that sometimes have the biggest impact. Thank you for your kindness ♡

    1. Speaking of couple of years, my son right now is 2 1/2 and I really love how he is starting to remember some of the major holiday traditions (i.e. lights and nativity decorating the neighborhood, cutting down a real new Christmas tree, and well PRESENTS of course) but I am so happy to have found this great new tradition. I can’t wait for him to help me with and/or simply bear witness to these fabulous acts of kindness this year while he has become very open to new things and really happy showing us his love of helping people already. It melts my heart. It’s never too early or never too late!! Thank you so much for this official new house tradition! As a young single 1st time mama, I hope you know how much this is already teaching my son (and me!) the true nature of the season. God Bless!!

      P.s. I have a feeling he will be waiting for what kind deed is up next come January 1..so I’m going to keep rolling with some new kindness acts as long as I can! Everyday, everyone and everywhere could alwaysss afford more warmth, compassion and kindness

      1. I absolutely love this ♡ Thank you so much for sharing Cara and for spreading and inspiring kindness in others ☆

  17. What a wonderful idea, I have printed off a copy and I am determined to carry out all of these kind acts. I shared it on my facebook page and printed extra copies for my colleagues as they want to join in.

    1. Thank you Angeline and your determination to carry out all the acts has made me smile 🙂 Thank you for sharing and looking forward to hearing how you get on. Hugs to you ♡

    1. Thank you for sharing on your blog ☆ I love your idea of creating a felt one for next year, would love to see it if you do ♡

  18. How utterly amazing! You have made my Christmas Happy! I am a co-organiser of a group called Action For Happiness http://www.actionforhappiness.org and in Brighton we have 2,000 members with whom I will share this information including your contact details. Throughout the UK and worldwide the organisation has nearly 100,000 members. This Christmas we should all spread happiness and love. Have fun!

    1. Your comment has made me smile and smile Mike, thank you 🙂 I love Brighton and I love your website. Thank you for sharing, that’s AMAZING. Sending you oodles of festive cheer ☆

  19. Love this Advent calendar in the middle of the USA (Iowa)! Sharing on my Facebook page! Thank you for a positive and kind way to get through the otherwise stressful holiday season. Bless you!

  20. Your kindness calendar reached the Colorado Rocky Mountains and our local pastor is helping spread the word! Thanks for such a lovely gift, Helen. The perfect antidote to “cyber week” shopping madness.

  21. This is a terrific idea. The only thing that bothers me is that in calling it an Advent calendar, it doesn’t start on the first day of Advent, which was Sunday, November 28th. In it’s simplest definition, leaving religion alone, Advent is defined as the period containing the four Sundays prior to Christmas. By starting on the first of December, it becomes a Christmas countdown calendar. As a Christian, Advent is a wonderful time of anticipation, awaiting the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Filling this beautiful time with daily acts of kindness is a great idea that I believe better fits in with the true meaning of Advent, as opposed to the feeling of counting down.to Christmas. Just a thought…

  22. Hi Helen. Just saw your advent post on my friend Suzy’s FB page. What a beautiful idea. I will be sharing it with my friends too now. I also have chronic health issues and have to stay out of the sun with the medication I am on now, so summer here in Australia won’t be quite as bright as it normally would be for me. But positive thoughts and ideas like your advent calendar help brighten me from the inside out. Hope the cold of winter isn’t too harsh for you this year and knowing that you are spreading goodwill and smiles worldwide helps your inner smile brighter too.

    1. Thank you for your lovely message Diana ♡ I am so sorry to hear of your suffering, and the side effects of your medication. I agree that trying to focus on the positives is life-changing when living with a chronic health condition. Thank you for your kind words too. Sending you love+hugs Xxx

  23. Hello Helen,
    I am a big fan,believer, way of living of “Paying it forward” or random acts of kindness. Making someone feel good, warm, or bringing forth a smile is everything to me. Your calendar is another way of carrying out kindness to others as well as reminding oneself to be kind to oneself.
    Thank you!

  24. Thank you so much Helen – I love this.

    Actually I love the whole site – your spirit, energy, and (especially given your challenges) your vitality, shines through every page

    And thanks for beautifully reminding me, what the internet is really about – lovingly powerful people stepping up and saying “this is me”

  25. Hi Helen, this is such a good idea! I am a teacher and we have developed our own acts of kindness advent to do with the children 🙂 today the children (and staff) had to say good afternoon/morning to everyone they saw! Made the school seem so much happier than usual xxx

    1. Thank you Sarah-Louise and absolutely love your idea, my heart is smiling to think of how everyone seems so much happier – a brilliant result ☆

  26. Hi Helen,
    I loved your idea and definitely will try my best to follow your calendar! 🙂
    As I also have a blog (but in portuguese) I though it would be nice to translate your kindness advent calendar! Would it be ok?
    I would link this post and the original calendar! 🙂
    Please let me know if you agree with this idea!
    Big kiss, and thank you.

  27. Helen: Thank you for the second year in a row. In the midst of all the holiday craziness, your calendar helps me remember to spend just a few minutes each day spreading joy (instead of just talking about it.)

  28. I’ve just spotted this on Facebook, what a lovely idea! I have just posted a link from a post on my blog as a happy thing to do for the 1st December. I have M.E. and Fibromyalgia so I know it’s not always easy to remain positive but this will certainly help! Thanks x

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Penny ☆ I’m so sorry to hear you have ME and Fibro, sending you positive love+healing hugs ♡

  29. Hello Helen, I just came across this on a friend’s Facebook page. The past month has been pretty dreary if you’re an American who didn’t support Trump (or oppose racism, sexism, homophobism etc etc ad nauseum!). I don’t have CFS but rather fibromyalgia, and have five v the stress and anxiety of the last month has left me feeling my symptoms worse than ever. So how wonderful to find not only something to help spread some more kindness in these dark times, but to find it’s created by someone with a chronic illness similar to mine! Thank you – I’ll be sharing this now and printing it first thing tomorrow

    1. Thank you so much for sharing this Karen. I’m so sorry to hear you have fibromyalgia and I completely hear you and understand how stress+anxiety can exacerbate our symptoms. I’m so thankful for kindness, it’s has become a really important tool in my healing tool kit. Sending you love and healing hugs ♡

      1. This is amazing! Last year I made my own version of this as I don’t eat chocolate anymore and still wanted to participate in advent. I can’t believe how similar our ideas are, it’s completely overwhelmed me! So good to know that people feel the same way about giving and expecting nothing in return. So much love for this xxx

        1. Thank you for your lovely message Alice and WOW! I love how our ideas are similar 🙂 It really is comforting to hear from so many kind-hearted people from all over the world ♡

    2. Hi Karen. I’m sorry to hear about your issue with fibromyalgia. Private message me, Mary K. Connolly, on Facebook or send an e-mail to tara1040@yahoo.ca…I might be able to help you to have relief without the use of drugs…we should chat.

  30. December can be a dark, dreary, and at times, depressing month for me. Then I came across this! I love this idea and am already uplifted, knowing being kind to others is always a kindness for me! Thank you, thank you!!

  31. Absolutely Love this – thank you so much as I was trying to write one and you came up with the answer! ?
    Brilliant xxx

  32. Helen
    What an inspiring calendar! I’ve shared it on our business fb page (@Wheredoesitcome) with a reference to your website so hopefully we can spread that ripple of kindness this advent. Have a fabulous Christmas. Jo

  33. Why does the title say #24? Sorry for the stupid question but I find it really confusing and I know this must sound odd but I hesitate to forward something I don’t understand myself.

    1. Hi GG, that is a good question. I’m doing 100 kind acts, and my Kindness Advent Calendar is kindness act #24 (as in number 24). i hope this clears up the confusion 🙂

  34. Dear Helen
    This is weird! Your blog post just came into my inbox today and I had to do a double take as I’d been seeing your Advent Calendar on Kindspring lately and thought, it can’t be the same calendar, it can’t be the same person who’s blog I’ve been following a little this year! So I went back and checked at kindspring for your username and there you are helencgreen! What a great connection.
    I am patjos there, Patrick in the real world!
    I am so thrilled that your calendar has taken off so well.
    As soon as I saw your blog email I thought, Oh this is a good story to share at KS, but you’re already there. I’ll be sure to say Hi the next time we meet at KS.
    btw I live in Fife, Happy St Andrews day!

    1. Hey patjos/Patrick, reading your message has made me smile from ear to ear 🙂 It’s incredible how far and wide my Kindness Advent Calendar is reaching – I’m blown away!

      I don’t get on Kindspring as much as I’d like, but I will def look you up next time I’m there! Hope you had a great St Andrews Day, hugs to you ♡

    1. This is brilliant – being an animal lover, I love your adaptation to ‘Kindness to Animals’ – thank you for sharing. I will post it on my Facebook Kindness community page too Xxx

  35. Wonderful Advent calendar. However, if you have CFS, you shouldn’t sign up with an organ donor bank (or donate blood).

    1. Oh I love this Amy, I’d love to see and share your calendar if you’re happy for me to do that? Hugs to you and your yoga class Xxx

  36. Hi what a lovely idea! I have downloaded and will be trying it thus year… do you do a child version?? (I know I could create one but…)

    1. Thank you! Plenty to choose from…

      I have completed Day 1 – shared the link to this page with my whole company – we’re UK based head office but have branches in USA, Australia and JAPAN – so hopefully the love is being spread worldwide.. 🙂

    1. Wow thank you so much for your kind words Effrosyni and thank you for sharing it ☆ Looking forward to you joining in and I’ll be posting on my Facebook ‘spreading a little kindness’ page throughout December to share our experiences 🙂

  37. Wonderful idea! Have already printed off some copies to share with others, and will post at my work and to my friends about it.

    Are you on Twitter? Either way, you should create a hashtag for people to use to encourage them to share their random acts over the 25 days (eg #dayX #kindnessadvent or #dayX #xmaskindness), which will hopefully then help to spread this even further and get more people sharing and joining in!

    1. That’s fantastic Jenny, thank you so much for spreading a little more kindness ☆

      Thanks for the Twitter tip, it’s a great idea. A few folks have also suggested getting onto Twitter, so I have and have just set up the hashtags #KindnessAdventCalendar and #ChristmasKindness. I’m a complete novice, so hope I’ve done it right 🙂 Hugs to you ♡

      1. Great stuff! I’ve found you and am following (I’m @hungryjenny). Don’t forget to add a little bio too and it’s worth adding the hashtags in there too 😉 as you will likely get lots of people looking you up now as the word spreads!

        1. Hello Jenny 🙂 Thank you so much for your Twitter help, really appreciate it. I’ve written my bio, added the hashtags and am following you ☆ Hugs ♡

  38. Thank you so much for this!
    I downloaded several copies and gave them out to work colleagues yesterday. They were chuffed! Here’s to a wonderfully kind December….thanks to you guys !

    1. Thank you so much Maria for spreading a little more kindness around your work place, that’s made me smile and smile ♡

  39. This has appeared so many times in my Facebook feed this week, and each time makes me smile again. It is just marvellous to see your message spreading.

  40. Great idea. We were just discussing my daughter’s homework tonight, part of it is her advent promise. I’ll show her this in the morning, I think we should all do it! I’ll be sharing it too!

    1. That’s wonderful Severien, I’d love to hear how you get on (I’ll be posting on my Facebook page throughout December). Thank you for sharing ♡

  41. Thanks so much Helen – I’ve downloaded and shared and can see friends are liking it too. What’s not to like, genius idea.

    1. I’m so happy you’re joining in Helen, and thank you so much for sharing. The kindness ripple effect is spreading so far and wide, it’s incredible ♡

    1. I’m sorry but I don’t Ruth. It’s a great idea and I think they are some online if you search… or maybe I’ll make one here ☆

    1. Yippeeee it makes me so happy to know you’re joining me in spreading some festive cheer ☆ I completely agree that there’s something extra special about Christmastime. Thank you for your kindness ♡

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