It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

Growing up we always had an Advent calendar.  It was Christmas tree shaped with an ornament to snap on for the each day leading up to Christmas.  I can vividly remember the excitement, between my sisters and me, about whose turn it was to put on the ornament at dinner time.   Each ornament had a symbolic meaning or related to a bible story and we read about them--aloud--as a family.  It is a very fond recollection for me.

Once I took to running my own home though the Advent calendar became a thing of the past.  A few years back Matt's mom gave me a beautiful Advent calendar which she'd made for her mom, Matt's grandma.  I've never put anything in the little pockets though.  The candy-a-day thing is just not part of my Advent heritage, I guess, and I was never sure what else to sub in for treats.  I just use it as lovely seasonal wall decor.  It serves that purpose very well.

This year I am really feeling the holiday spirit.  I more excited about Christmas than I can remember in a long time.  I'm not even totally sure why.

The tree is up.  Most of the packages are wrapped.  The house is lit--inside AND outside.  We've never had outdoor lights before, but Matt's folks gave us a big box of them this year.  I'm getting ready for two weeks off work--and my annual hiatus from the internet.  I've been mentally composing our annual holiday letter.  I'm excited for singing carols and playing them on the flute.  I'm stoked that Christmas music is on the radio already.  I've been dreaming about certain holiday treats and Matt's even made some already.  I'm looking forward to making more lefse with Sharon.  I'm pumped to ring in the new year.  I've never looked forward to the fresh start of a new year so much before either.

So, riding this wave of excitement I came up with a tandem Advent-sort-of-tradition of my own.  I developed (with help from Matt) a list of activities that are linked with Christmas in my mind.  There is one activity per day leading up to Christmas.

Because we appreciate flexibility I opted to make it pretty freeform.  Rather than assign an activity to a specific day we just look at the list together and choose which activity we'll do that day based on our moods and time constraints.  It has been super fun so far.  We're checking Go To A Christmas Party off the list today.

I also made a Santa Advent calendar out of construction paper after stumbling across this blog.  Santa's beard will get shorter and shorter all month long.  We've got him posted up on the fridge.  He is a pretty jolly looking Santa, even if it isn't "the real deal" as my dad would say (by which he means classic Santa...not some modern, cartoonish rendering).

Johnny MUST be involved in all paper crafts, all crafts in general, actually.

He's hung on the refrigerator with care, right along with our stockings.  ;)

It is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.  Now here is hoping it is a white Christmas, too.  Christmas just isn't the same without that beautiful blanket of white.