Doing it again in 2025!
Advent season begins this Sunday, a time when Christians reflect on the anticipation and arrival of Christ’s birth. Traditionally churches honor this season by lighting Advent candles representing hope, peace, love, and joy on each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. The fifth candle, representing Christ, is lit on Christmas Eve.
Over the last few years Advent calendars have become a popular way to count down the 24 days till Christmas. The calendars contain items revealed behind a door or small box. These items can range from sweets and toys to candles and other surprises. It’s a fun tradition that brings joy and anticipation into the season!
But Christmas is ultimately a season of giving so we’re taking a different approach this year. We’re inviting you to join the Christian Retreats Network team in a “Reverse Advent Calendar.” Instead of receiving a gift each day, we’ll add item(s) to a donation box every day for 24 days. The completed box will be delivered to our local food pantry to bless families in need.
Follow along with our progress on Facebook, and we encourage you to join in by filling your own box and donating it locally. Together, we can help make this season meaningful for others.
Not a New Idea!
In 2020 we had the Christian Retreats Network team, consisting of the sales and marketing departments, come together to participate in a reverse advent activity. I should clarify- they all volunteered to help! Once I explained the concept and asked if anyone wanted to participate everyone jumped at the opportunity; so much so that we ended up with way more than 24 items in our donation box!
Team members commented on their excitement to go shopping for the reverse advent items and most even brought in additional items they felt could be beneficial. In one case, while a team member was shopping, a conversation about the reverse advent project got started with a stranger in the grocery store aisle. The stranger was so moved they purchased items and gave them to the team member to contribute too!
The project also brought awareness to our local outreach programs. It’s not that our team members didn’t know of their existence but more ‘out of sight, out mind’ for many. One team member involved her kids while shopping which led to a great teaching moment to show them at a young age how to show compassion and generosity. The holiday season is portrayed as a time of love and giving but sometimes people just aren’t aware of the outlets they can give to. Creating this opportunity at our workplace allowed several people to give quite generously that may not have normally simply because they weren’t sure how to.
The reverse advent tradition has continued for many of our team members since then. They’ve either collected the donations at the workplace or created the opportunity at home with their family.
You can read the full interview we did in the Illinois Country Living magazine here.