Advent Calendars That Spread a Little Kindness
I absolutely love Christmas - the food, decorations, spending time with those that you love and the giving of gifts. But it can be a time for over consumption and waste too. So if this year you would like to have a more sustainable Christmas over the next few weeks as we countdown to Christmas I will be sharing some of my ideas for how you can have a kinder, more ethical Christmas that is still full of joy.
For the first post in this series I am going to focus on Advent Calendars. I love the countdown to Christmas, but over the last few years advent calendars have become more and more extravagant and ultimately more wasteful. It was estimated that in 2019 16.5 million advent calendars containing single use plastic were bought in the UK – that’s a heck of a lot of plastic waste. But there are alternative ways to countdown to Christmas that put people and the planet first – and still bring the Festive Cheer!
Charity Advent Calendars
Advent of Change Charity Advent Calendar - £17.95
This advent calendar supports 24 different charities and ever day it gives you an example of how your donation could be used for good. From providing food and medicine to those in need to protecting our oceans. There is also a children's version too so that the whole family can enjoy and understand the importance of giving back whilst counting down to Christmas. And importantly all versions are plastic free and recyclable too.
Chocolate Advent Calendars
Chocolate advent calendars are most kids (and adults) favourite way to count down to Christmas! And these two advent calendars put being kind to people at the heart of everything.
Tony's Chocolonely Countdown Calendar - £9.99
Countdown to Christmas with Fairtrade chocolates that are palm oil free, and vegetarian. Tony’s mission is to make 100% slave free the norm in chocolate and they are also certified a B Corp. The only downside is the packaging isn't completely plastic free although they do suggest that you could use the tray to grow plants!
Moo Free Dairy Free Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar - £3.99
This dairy free chocolate advent calendar is suitable for vegans and is palm oil free with an organic version available too. These advent calendars are made in the UK in a factory that sends no waste to landfill and they employ and support a number of people with autism. And the packaging is made of recycled and recyclable materials.
Tea Advent Calendars
For those of us who aren't able to eat chocolate (sadly it's a migraine trigger for me) another fun option for counting down to Christmas is an advent calendar that contains tea!!
Clipper Organic Tea Advent Calendar - £4.99
This advent calendar contains 24 cups of Christmas cheer. It is filled with 12 different organic teas and infusions that are plastic free and biodegradable.
Pukka Christmas Calendar - £9.99
I love Pukka teas – I drink them every day - although it is always the same blend so I am really pleased to find they have a tea advent calendar which contains 24 different organic herbal teas to try each day throughout December. Their tea bags and sachets are plastic free, they are certified Fair for Life, ensure they have a fair supply chain and are a B corp too! So you can be sure that this advent calendar is kind to people and the planet.
Foodbank Reverse Advent Box
This is something that our foodbank has done previously and I think it is a wonderful idea. You find a box or bag and every day you add an item into your advent collection box and then you can take it to your foodbank as a donation. It's a great activity to do with all the family as it shows that Christmas is all about giving. Our Foodbank has requested that all donations for Christmas need to be made by the beginning of December - so this might be something you want to start now. So not strictly speaking an advent calendar but I hope you don’t mind me sharing it with you! I would also recommend that you check on your local foodbanks website to see what are the most needed items and try to add those to your donation box/bag too.
Small Christmas Kindness Advent
This year I thought it would be really fun to do a kindness advent calendar on Instagram and Facebook. I will share a prompt for a small act of kindness you could that day that is either kind to you, kind to people or kind to the planet. They will all be simple acts but my hope is it will help to spread some kindness over the countdown to Christmas - and what could be more festive than that!
Imagine what a difference we could make if everyone swapped a plastic filled advent calendar for one that was kinder to people and the planet - that really would bring a bit of joy to the world!!
That's all for today – I will be back soon with the next post in my Sustainable Christmas Series.
Kelly xx
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I am Kelly Townsend and this is the Small Kindness Blog. I am a scientist, soapmaker, bee lover, a rewilding obsessive, and I want to spread Small Kindnesses through the medium of soap. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for your daily dose of kindness, sustainability and of course the joy that is soap.