One mum’s journey to rediscover the meaning of Christmas

WHEN this Northern Rivers mum thought the ‘spirit of Christmas’ was getting lost, she decided to do something about it. .

Tess Bell with daughter, Sienna and Scarlett and their christmas calendar.

WHEN Tess Bell felt Christmas was moving further towards buying expensive gifts and away from the 'spirit of Christmas', she decided to do something about it.

Tess created the 'Sharing Kindness Advent Calendar' to teach her own children about the meaning of Christmas, but they proved a hit across social media.

Ms Bell said she was initially hesitant about starting the calendar online but one moment with her daughter reaffirmed Tess' belief the project was worthwhile.

"My most treasured moment on this journey was when the final proof sample arrived and my daughter Sienna said, "Oh wow mamma, it's incredible! I think this is what it feels like being 'proud', is it?".

Ms Bell implemented the tasks into her own family life last year and saw the benefits, but the calendar soared online, receiving 5000 downloads.

"From the response I knew this was something families were craving," she said.

"I saw an opportunity to create something with real meaning that the whole family could be involved in."

"Often the focus of Christmas is on gifts and candy but what we really need to focus on is kindness and connection.

Ms Bell said that after the events of 2020 which has seen many local families on the Northern Rivers impacted by COVID-19, the upcoming Christmas could be incredibly important.

"After the events of 2020, I think this is more important than ever, so I decided to create a real, fun and interactive calendar to encourage others to share kindness this Christmas and, hopefully, throughout the year.

"I want this calendar to inspire connection and reflection, while teaching people that our intentions, choices and words have the power to change the world for the better."

To see more on the Sharing Kindness Calendar, go to www.sharingkindness.co/adventcalendar.