I’ve printed out my list of ‘Do Good This Advent’ and keep it in my bag at all times to remind me what I’m attempting to achieve. I’m about even with the number of days, which is a relief. The one I am struggling most with is trying to be a kind driver and walker. It appears that I have quite bad road and even worse buggy rage!
Two other little projects I’ve discovered along the way that are:
– Against Breast Cancer – bra recycling. I’m not someone who buys tonnes of bras, but I still managed to get rid of 9! I was amazed. You just pop them in a jiffy bag and post them off.
– Dettol Blanket – donating baby blankets. They can be excess, new or bought from a charity shop. Dettol will wash them and send them off. It’s a Freepost address too.
Both are items that most parents (and ladies) will have excess of…and without further ado. Here is my update:
24 Ways to DO GOOD THIS ADVENT
1. Buy a bag of high quality food and donate it to your local food bank.
2. Make double of a delicious, freezable meal and take it to an elderly friend. Cottage pie, veggies and chocolate.
3. Buy someone less fortunate a plant or some fresh flowers. This is something they might not want to spend money on. I was cliché and got a poinsettia!
4. Offer to take a friend or family members children out for the day.
5. Put together a basket of treats for a friend who has experienced a recent death.
6. When shopping, let the person behind you do first – even if they have lots of items.
7. Make dinner for a friend who has had a new baby.
8. Donate blood. I called three weeks in advance and they didn’t have a slot until February, so I’ve booked in for then. I turned up anyway to get them to fit me in, but they couldn’t. Good to know they are busy!
9. Have a clear out and donate all of your old clothes, toys and homewares to charity.
10. Offer to babysit for a friend.
11. When you’re out and about collect rubbish and take it home with you. My grandma would always come home with a bag of rubbish she’d collected on her travels. I’m doing good with this one too.
12. Visit a nursing home just to chat with some of the residents.
13. Give every single person you talk to a compliment. Again, I’m really trying with this one.
14. Call an elderly person before going to the shops and ask them if they need anything.
15. Research a charity that you really believe in and donate.
16. Donate ‘once in a lifetime’ clothing, such as bridesmaid dresses, prom dresses, or even bridal dresses. Donating my wedding dress is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I haven’t touched it for 6 years and feel that it could be doing something far more useful. I donated it to The Wedding Wishing Well via Johnsons Cleaners.
17. Write a thank you letter to a member of the armed forces who is currently overseas.
18. Spend time with a child in need – take them for a hot chocolate, to the cinema, out for a meal, go on a walk or help them with homework.
19. Attend a carol concert and donate generously.
20. Be a kind driver, cyclist or commuter. Let someone merge in front of you during rush hour, whether you’re walking, driving or cycling.
21. Support your community by attending an event – a choir concert, a school play, craft fair or production.
22. If you go through a drive thru or a toll – pay for the person behind you.
23. Leave a note and a fiver in a library book. I wrote a note saying: “It’s your lucky day! Go and buy yourself a treat!” Whoever picks up ‘The Cry’ by Helen Fitzgerald next at my local library is in for a treat. Don’t all rush at once.
24. Buy a copy of the Big Issue. They are only £2 and the lady looked so thrilled that I bought one. It made me feel really bad.
E xx
