by KC Owens, Thrift Store Director

Advent is the four-week period beginning on the Sunday nearest the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle (November 30) through the following three Sundays. The word Advent, is a Latin word meaning coming.  To Christians this means that time when Jesus was born as a baby to live among men.  It is a time of anticipation. Believers had (and still do have) such a sense of awe and overwhelming gratitude and wonder at what happened that first Christmas that they felt the need for a period of preparation immediately beforehand. They could then not only take time themselves to meditate on it, but also teach their children the tremendous significance of Christmas.

Advent calendars typically don’t follow the period of Advent described above. Instead, they begin on December 1 and mark the 24 days before Christmas.  “At first, the days preceding Christmas were marked off from December 1 with chalk on believers' doors. Then in Germany in the late 19th century the mother of a child named Gerhard Lang made her son an Advent Calendar comprised of 24 tiny sweets stuck onto cardboard. Lang never forgot the excitement he felt when he was given his Advent calendar at the beginning of each December, and how it reminded him every day that the greatest celebration of the whole year was approaching ever nearer. As an adult he went into partnership with his friend Reichhold and opened a printing office. In 1908, they produced what is thought to be the first-ever printed Advent Calendar with a small colored picture for each day in Advent. Later on, at the beginning of the 20th century, they hit on the idea of making the pictures into little shuttered windows for the children to open day by day in order to heighten their sense of expectation.”( https://www.gotquestions.org/advent-calendar.html)
 
Advent calendars come in all shapes and sizes.  However, they all daily revel a surprise of some sorts to help build the anticipation and wonder of Christmas Day.  It might be an image, a Bible verse, piece of chocolate, or small gift but the purpose is to add to the anticipation of Christmas Day and the meaning that Christians hold in the birth of Christ.   Over the years Christianity has declined and Christmas has become more commercialized we have seen advent calendars become commercialized as well. You don't need an Advent calendar to know that Christmas is coming, but opening a little numbered door to reveal a prize is an idea that everyone—religious or not—can get behind. They now make advent calendars for pets.
 
So what does this have to do with Crossroads Thrift Store and what we do here? Well a few weeks ago I was on Facebook and a friend posted a reverse advent calendar for a Food Pantry in Las Vegas and it got me to thinking about Christmas time and how as soon as Christmas is over we are in desperate need to help the folks that come in with certain items.  We can NEVER keep in stock enough socks, underwear, blankets, coats, towels, pots, and pans.  It is always a shortage in these areas. So, I thought what if? What if we did a calendar for the time leading up to Christmas, that people and their families could use to help understand and build to their own anticipation of a MEANINGFUL Christmas. A time to give of our own resources to help others in need.  Most of us are going to receive gifts on Christmas Day that are truly wants and not desperate needs.  I listen to my friends and family talk about how they are trying to teach their kids the real meaning of Christmas and always searching for ways to help them understand.  We receive phone calls and emails from people who want to come volunteer so they get a small understanding that it isn’t just about the day it is about so much more.
 
So, we decided to try to do a reverse advent calendar so that we can have more stuff to give away to those that need it most in the coldest time of year.  It is reverse because instead of you getting a small gift or surprise each day you are giving a small gift each day and it will lead to the BIG DAY (day after Christmas) that will go a long way to help another individual or family!   
 
REVERSE ADVENT CALENDER
EACH DAY ADD AN ITEM TO A BOX or BAG
DELIVER TO CROSSROADS THRIFT STORE ON THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS 
1385 West Indiana Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84104
HELP THOSE IN NEED BY CLEANING OUT YOUR STUFF!
 
December 1 – A pair of warm socks
December 2 – A gently used warm jacket
December 3 – A gently used warm long sleeve shirt
December 4- A gently used pair of denim jeans
December 5- A gently used pair of closed toed shoes
December 6 - A gently used backpack
December 7 - A gently used towel
December 8 - A gently used sweat shirt        
December 9 - A gently used pair of pants
December 10 – 1 pair new underwear
December 11 - A gently used sauce pan
December 12 - A gently used wash cloth
December 13 - A gently used plate
December 14 - A gently used pair of pants
December 15 - A gently used pair of socks
December 16 - A gently used set of long underwear
December 17 - A gently used skillet
December 18 - A gently used hoodie
December 19 - A gently used warm hat
December 20 - A gently used bowl
December 21 - A gently used baking pan
December 22- A gently used blanket/sleeping bag/quilt
December 23 - A gently used dish towel
December 24 - A gently used set of gloves
IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE SUGGESTED ITEM FEEL FREE TO SUBSTITUTE SOMETHING OF EQUAL NEED!
 
Here are a few ideas of HOW to use this in a meaningful way.
 
Get a wreath and cut out each individual day and place on the wreath with the day clearly printed where you can see it. Each day take that days date and gather the needed item. On December 26 deliver it to the Thrift Store.
 
Use a regular calendar and cut out each individual day and tape on the calendar.  Each day take that days date and gather the needed item. On December 26 deliver it to the Thrift Store.
 
Google DIY Advent Calendar ideas and a whole bunch will pop up.
 
We hope you join us to help others while finding a new way to increase your own anticipation of Christmas and its true meaning!
 

On September 22, 2019, over 100 kind and generous people gathered at the Bayou to take part in the Wine & Cheese Party and collectively donated over $6,400 to Crossroads Urban Center. We would like to thank everyone who attended and all of the amazing volunteers and silent auction donors who made this event such a success.