Advent Giving Quest - Week 1 Report & Week 2 Plan

Advent has begun!! This past week, on the evenings we were home to eat dinner together, we began reading through a Family Advent book the kids received last year from St. Nicholas. It had great short readings with thoughts about Advent and even tied in with our giving plan for the season!

On Monday, my mom, my kids and I put together quite a few packages to give out during Advent. We put the Candy Cane story onto candy canes, M&M nativity story on individual M&M packages, taped quarters into cards, and packaged candles and body lotion sets.

Jacob enjoyed "reading" books while we were putting together our gifts.

Abigail had fun taping all of the quarters on the cards:Isaiah joined us for a while helping out too!Mom and I finished up the preparation of all the gifts, as my kids got a little side-tracked!

Here's our completed packages ready to give away! We divided up the packages between me and my mom and put them in our cars so we would have them throughout the week.

Throughout this past week, we were able to bless quite a few people with Random Acts of Christmas Kindness! Here's a few pictures of our actions:

My mom gave away a package at the post office:

and the bank:

On Monday, Isaiah went to Walmart with me for groceries and he asked our checkout clerk what her favorite gum was, then we gave it to her with a card when we left. It made all of us smile :-)

We met my mom at a few laundrymats on Tuesday and each of my children were able to give away a card with $1.50 in quarters taped to it to six different individuals.

They all loved giving them away!!

Their school is doing a drive to collect items for a local association to help less fortunate children and the SPCA. Each of my kids were able to donate a bag full each of items for this cause.

Abigail decided to give a few more things the next day of her own toys.

Isaiah gave our checkout teller at World Market a Candy Cane with the story on Wednesday.

My mom gave gifts at Texas Roadhouse, Stockyards restaurant, United, Outback, home Bug Sprayer, and our hair dresser. She also bought coffee for a Salvation Army bell ringer at United.

It was a VERY successful week of Random Acts of Christmas Kindness!

Week 2 of Advent Giving Quest Plan:

This Thursday is December 8th, the Feast of Immaculate Conception, so my children have the day off from school. We are going to use this opportunity to get started early with giving that day! We are planning on delivered donuts to a firehouse and then bringing candy canes, m&ms, and small gifts to a few nursing homes.

We are also planning on Saturday to go to the mall (after picking up mylar balloons at the dollar store) to handout balloons to children shopping with their parents, putting Christmas books at the children's play area, handing out coupons for free food at Chick-fil-a (I bought these at a silent auction), & handing out Candy Cane & M&Ms with their stories.

As the opportunities arise, we also plan on:

Grocery Store - buy a gift card and hand it to the person checking out behind me.

Grocery Store - buy a package of gum & give it to the checkout clerk

Grocery Store - buy a coffee or hot chocolate & give it to the Salvation Army bell ringer when leaving the store

Restaurants - hand out coupons that I have or small gift cards before leaving restaurant

Restaurants - Leave a small gift for waiter/waitress

Drive-Thru Restaurant - pay for person behind me in line

Have a wonderful week of Giving!!!