It’s That Time of the Year: Advent Calendars!

Summary

Nanie Hurley has created a free Mindfulness Advent Calendar to share with others for the holiday season, providing daily mindfulness activities and fostering a community exchange of experiences through her newsletter.

Abstract

Nanie Hurley, who has embraced the Irish tradition of advent calendars since moving from Brazil, has introduced a unique twist on the concept with her Mindfulness Advent Calendar. This digital calendar offers daily activities aimed at fostering mindfulness and self-discovery throughout December. Unlike traditional advent calendars that focus on material surprises, Hurley's creation emphasizes personal growth and the joy of anticipation through simple, time-efficient tasks. The calendar is freely accessible and is accompanied by a community aspect where participants can share their experiences in the chat area of Hurley's newsletter, "In The Trenches by Nanie Hurley." While the calendar is available for free, an ebook version is also for sale on Amazon, with the added benefit of being included in the Amazon Unlimited membership.

Opinions

Hurley expresses a personal enthusiasm for advent calendars, highlighting their diversity in Ireland compared to her native Brazil.
She acknowledges the evolution of advent calendars from religious origins to a secular tradition enjoyed by many regardless of religious affiliation.
Hurley values the element of surprise and the excitement it brings during the holiday season, which inspired her to create her own advent calendar.
She believes in the importance of mindfulness and self-improvement, especially during the holiday season, and sees her calendar as a tool for personal growth.
Hurley has a collaborative approach, thanking those who contributed ideas and feedback to her Mindfulness Advent Calendar, including Shanti C K, Amanda Weir-Gertzog, and Patrick Stewart.
She is committed to inclusivity, ensuring that the activities in the calendar are accessible to a wide audience, with assistance from Amanda Weir-Gertzog.
Hurley is excited to share her personal journey with the Mindfulness Advent Calendar and encourages others to join her in this experience.

Advent calendar, you say?

Look, I had never heard of advent calendars before moving to Ireland. We don’t have that tradition in Brazil at all. Here in Ireland, they’re everywhere. There are several types of calendars for all tastes (and ages!), from chocolate and toys to coffee and even very expensive jewellery!

Although it was originally a religious creation to count the days up to Christmas, nowadays, you don’t need to be Christian or even celebrate Christmas to enjoy the fun of an advent calendar. Usually, such calendar have 24 or 25 “doors” and each day you open one. What’s behind each door, depends on the type of calendar you have. It’s very exciting to have a little surprise every day of the month during the holiday season.

Over my years in Ireland, I’ve tried several types myself, chocolates, Disney toys, teas, popcorn, jokes and even books! Some of those were store bought, others DIY. I have so much fun during December — it has become one of my favourite traditions, and I really look forward to it.

For this year, I got myself a coffee advent calendar, but I also decided I wanted more. I wanted a calendar that was more than counting days and getting things. I wanted something that I would look forward to every single day, something to help me become a better person and enjoy the holiday season.

I couldn’t find what I was looking for. So I created it!

Join me as we do one mindfulness activity every day in December leading up to Christmas. | Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Mindfulness Advent Calendar

I made a Mindfulness Advent Calendar. It’s a digital calendar, all about mindfulness and self-discovery.

Every day, you’ll find a new activity you can do in your home. You won’t need anything fancy or special, although an internet connection is helpful. All the prompts are optional, so you can give any day a miss if you don’t feel like doing it.

I spent a lot of time creating this calendar and poured a lot of love and thought into it. The activities are simple, easy, and won’t take more than 10 minutes out of your day (even less sometimes), but they will have a long-lasting impact. That I can promise.

I’m also going to share how the advent calendar is going for me in the chat area of my newsletter, In The Trenches by Nanie Hurley. That way, we can exchange experiences, ask questions, and share our thoughts and questions. I made the calendar, so the surprise factor won’t be as strong for me as it will be for you (no peaking!). I’m sure I’ll still have a lot of fun, and I hope you will too.

The calendar is FREE, and you can download it here. I’m truly looking forward to doing it with you throughout December from tomorrow onwards.

A big thank you to Shanti C K for allowing me to use one of her ideas in my calendar, Amanda Weir-Gertzog for helping with the activities list and making them more inclusive, and Patrick Stewart for checking out the calendar before it was ready.

It’s That Time of the Year: Advent Calendars!

Are you advent calendar crazy like me?

Advent calendar, you say?

Mindfulness Advent Calendar

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