Advent Mason Jar

advent mason jar

What??  It’s December!  Where did November go??  And now the countdown to Christmas is on….ok, I’m not trying to freak you out.  In fact, I’m trying to just be a bit chill about it and really enjoy each moment!  Christmas is really a special time of year…so many amazing moments to be soaked in…if I just take the time.

The last few years I’ve put together a small gift for my family to kick off the Christmas season on December 1st.

Christmas advent

It usually involves an advent calendar of some sort…yes, the cheesy chocolate ones.  New PJ’s are a must.  My girls of course want these from our new shop (ok, I’ll give Dyl creds…she came up with this idea!).  I always buy a Christmas movie that we can watch together.  And this year, I’m adding an advent mason jar.  In the past, I’ve made a much more elaborate calendar (see here), but this year I just ran out of time.  But I still like the idea of a calendar that encourages the kids to look beyond themselves at Christmas.  On Pinterest, I’ve seen a lot of RACK advent calendars…random acts of Christmas kindness!  How cool is this? And it really just takes a few minutes to put together…

All you need is a jar, some paper and some wrapped Christmas treats if you like.  Print out some random acts of kindness for you and your kids to do…each day one child can pick out a paper and everyone in the family has to do it!  Hey it’s only December 2, so you can still do this!

advent mason jar2

Here are some ideas of random acts of Christmas kindness…

  • give someone a hug
  • bring your teacher or coworker a coffee
  • put money in a Salvation army kettle
  • send someone a text that might be lonely
  • give up your spot in line
  • offer to do a job or chore for someone else
  • donate food to your local food bank
  • smile at as many people as you can today
  • donate a blanket
  • leave a generous tip
  • hand out $5 Starbucks or Tim Hortons cards
  • buy a coffee or soup for a homeless person
  • hold the door open for someone
  • bring a coffee to your school crossing guard
  • use $20 to brighten someone’s Christmas
  • say hello to 3 people you’ve never talked to before
  • donate to a toy drive
  • write a thank-you card to someone you are grateful for
  • make someone laugh
  • give a compliment

I’ve added in some fun, traditional (or not-so-traditional) Christmas things that we can do as a family…

  • make popcorn and watch a Christmas movie
  • go to Starbucks and then drive around looking at Christmas lights
  • pick out a new Christmas ornament
  • make peppermint hot chocolate
  • bake Christmas cookies
  • read the Christmas story from Luke in the Bible
  • play a family game
  • run around the yard singing a Christmas carol

I used some treats to pretty up the jar a bit, and I’m sure that the kids won’t mind them!  I found gold wrapped Lindor white chocolate and Hershey’s Deluxe Kisses.  You can pick treats that might go with your Christmas decor colors.

advent mason jar3

Ok, so I just don’t play board games…but I can watch, right?  Have a little fun with the activities you pop into the jar.  And, the countdown is on…23 sleeps!