We love Advent in our family. It’s a time of entering into quiet, stillness, and reflection as we mark the start of the new liturgical year and the journey toward the manger, a place that reminds us of the Divine’s desire to be with us in ways that we understand–but that also radically disrupt our notions of power. It also means quiet nights illuminated by candles and a deliberate slowdown of our pace to allow us to focus. As much as some of us also want to rush toward Christmas, each day of Advent is its own moment. To help us slow down (rather than just count down), we are creating an Advent calendar of kindness this year. Today (December 1) is our first day, and we spent it in the creation of our calendar, which will appear day-by-day on this blog.
You can create your own (even if you’re not starting on December 1) by simply drafting a list of simple things people in your family can do to show kindness. Our rules:
- It has to be something that everyone can do for everyone else. That is, nothing can be outside of someone’s skillset.
- You have to do it for everyone in the family.
- Total daily time commitment should be under 10 minutes.
Your family might have different rules or needs, of course.
Above, our little forest of paper trees that sits on our shelf each Advent season. Underneath the larger ones are pieces of candy. Each day, the Family Foxhole children get to pick a piece as we count down the days until Christmas.
Family Foxhole 