At this time of year we’re all so focused on celebrating Christmas that it can be easy to forget about those who won’t be having such a good time while we’re enjoying ourselves. In the midst of all the indulgence I think it’s so important to give ourselves a bit of a reality check and try to give back – and if we can make it fun at the same time then so much the better. Last week I spent a lovely afternoon with my Nottingham blogging friends, getting festive and doing something good for others at a Faux Ho Ho party, organised by Penny from Parentshaped.
Faux Ho Ho is a campaign by ActionAid, all about having a ‘fake’ Christmas celebration ahead of the big day itself. The idea is to get together with friends, colleagues or family, have a few nibbles and a glass of fizz and raise money in the process to help millions of homeless children around the world.
In 2015 war, violence and natural disasters have made millions of children homeless across the globe. Children in Nepal were left devastated by the earthquake that struck the country in April, tens of thousands are fleeing the war in Syria and there are millions of others who we don’t hear about in the media, like in India where there are estimated to be at least 11 million homeless children. Homelessness leaves children vulnerable. This Christmas, ActionAid are appealing for help for homeless children around the world.
Hosting your own Faux Ho Ho is really simple; ActionAid supply you with your party pack which includes a celebrity chef recipe card, a game, some party hats and other bits to make the celebration even more fun. Take a look at what we got up to with the props…
We all brought some food to spread the workload, and Penny did a fab job of making everything feel festive.
During your gathering you can encourage people to donate some money, we all agreed to donate what we would have normally spent on a meal in a restaurant. It’s surprising how quickly it can add up; our faux ho ho raised enough money to feed two children hot dinners for a year. It was lovely to catch up with friends and have a bit of fun, and it felt so good to be raising some money at the same time.
Please take a minute to check out the ActionAid website for full details of their Faux Ho Ho campaign – you can also follow the #fauxhoho hashtag on social media to see what others are getting up to and get some inspiration. I really hope you get involved in this brilliant campaign to help vulnerable children around the world.
I’m also linking up here with the Wayfair #blogitforward challenge, which is encouraging bloggers to spread festive cheer by doing a good deed. For every #BlogItForward act of kindness Wayfair will donate £50 to Habitat for Humanity, an organization that helps the poorest and most vulnerable people lift themselves out of poverty by partnering with them to build their homes and communities. For more information and to get involved with this great initiative check out the details here.
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