An Advent of Gratitude

Last week I came across the Facebook page for An Advent of Gratitude, which is "a 24 day challenge to shift the focus of the Advent season from consumption to gratitude...born out of an over-coffee conversation between three friends".  I thought it was a wonderful idea, and it didn't take me long to like the page to make sure it showed up on my own wall.

The page's guidelines say:

Most Advent Calendars present us with a gift each day leading up to Christmas. The purpose of this Advent of Gratitude is to remind us of the gifts we already have, what we often take for granted, what we can and should be grateful for. Each daily reminder includes a suggestion for payment, a small monetary gift that in 24 days will grow into a donation, payable to a charity of your choice. At the end of this challenge, please donate to a charity, preferably somewhere local, that serves those less fortunate than you.

My challenge starts tomorrow.  I've slightly changed the wording for Day 6 (which originally said "traveled outside of Canada"), Day 11 (they used the term "graduated from university"), and Day 21 (their reference was "more than 100 km", which I converted to miles and rounded up). 

• Day 1- Pay .25 for each woman in your family who graduated from high school.

• Day 2- If you rode in a car today, pay $1. Pay $2 if you drove the car.

• Day 3- Count the light switches in your house. Pay .25 for each one.

• Day 4- How many pairs of shoes and/or boots do you own? Pay .10 per pair.

• Day 5-If you have never experienced having your electricity or heat shut off due to inability to pay the bill, pay $5.

• Day 6-If you have traveled outside of the United States, pay $2. Pay an extra $2 if you have traveled within the past 6 months.

• Day 7- Pay $2 if you’ve bought a gourmet coffee in the past month.

• Day 8-If you went to work today and earned an income, pay $2.

• Day 9- Pay $1 for every refrigerator/freezer in your home.

• Day 10- Count every cell phone in your home. Pay $1 per phone.

• Day 11- If you graduated from college, pay $1 per degree.

• Day 12- How many televisions do you have? Pay $1 per TV. Pay $1extra if you subscribe to Netflix.

• Day 13- Open your pantry. If there is more food than you can consume in 2 days, pay $2.

• Day 14- Pay $2 if you have more than one bank account. Pay an extra $2 if you have investments that earn income.

• Day 15- If you slept in a warm bed last night, pay $2.

• Day 16- If you have visited your doctor this past year, for something relatively minor, pay $2.

• Day 17- Count the faucets in your home. Pay .50 per faucet.

• Day 18- If you’ve bought gifts for others this season, pay $1. If you added ‘a little something’ for yourself, pay an extra $1.

• Day 19- If your home has more than 25 books, pay $1. If more than 50, $2.

• Day 20- If your parents had a high school education, pay $1. If one attended college or university, pay $2. $3 if both attended.

• Day 21- If you are traveling more than 65 miles for Christmas festivities, pay $1. Pay $2 if you are confident your vehicle will get you there.

• Day 22- Count the coats in your closet. Pay .25 per coat or jacket.

• Day 23-Pay $2 if you can name more than 5 people who love you.

• Day 24- If you have a pet, pay $2. Pay an additional $2 if you have more than one.

Would you like to join me in this challenge?

Five years ago today: Modestly