Advent

As Christmas nears, I find myself living a life of busyness and creativity. I am far too busy to sit and look, sit and moan, or sit and think. At the moment, my blogging seems to reflect that! I have been mainly sharing ideas, recipes and creative projects with you, and I'm afraid that this post will be no different.
Only this morning, Seth was asking me how many "sleeps" there are until the end of November. This is because, he is waiting for that day, as on that morning, he will be putting on his school uniform, ready for his first visit to his new primary school. As we counted the days until the 30th, we discovered that he only had seven sleeps left. It was shortly after this calculation that it dawned on me that I have only eight sleeps left until the beginning of Advent - without a doubt my favourite time of the year!!!
And so, this afternoon, I have been preparing our Advent Calendar. A few years ago, I was a part of an amazing team, who ran a Mums and Toddlers group called Sparklers - it was the best toddler group in the land!!! We loved it. The team was solid, and we loved each other and the families that we served. We'd often have Mum's Nights, and the one that I particularly relished was the Christmas Craft Evening. It was always held at the end of November and we'd have a great time. Candles everywhere, mulled wine bubbling away, Christmassy music being played, a bit of entertainment, a bit of a talk and lots of different "stations" to move around. The stations would usually be things like, wire decoration-making, How to Wrap a Pressie, mince pies, glass painting, Make a Table Centre, sewing a tree decoration, and so on. I LOVED it!!!
One year, a lady named Helen, who is a great mum, wife and daughter of God, stood up and spoke (something she wasn't keen on!) She told us about her Advent Calendar. She had a calendar with little pockets in. She told us that her children would find something in each pocket, each day. She handed out pieces of paper with Bible verses for each day, and ideas for special Christmas jobs to do each day also. Excitedly, I took my handouts home and assembled our advent calendar, which had previously only housed Galaxy Minstrels.
Since then our Advent Calendar has always presented our children with three treats on each day of the Advent period. As they pop their little fingers into the appropriate pocket for that day, they find a Bible verse, a Christmas job and a little chocolate each. Each day, their different Christmas job moves more and more into the Christmas Mood. One day, they might be making some shortbread, the next day delivering to friends to wish them a Merry Christmas. Another day, they might be snuggled up in the front the fire watching "Santa Claus - The Movie", whilst another they might sit together in their rooms, reading old Christmas books. We also make the school Christmas celebrations a part of our Advent activities, and so we mark the Tree Decorating Ceremony, as well as the School Nativity Play. Our church is very busy around Christmas time, and whilst Dave and I rehearse for various performances, the children are instructed, by the calendar, to "Write your Christmas cards!". You see, although the Advent calendar is only a small calendar, and although the delving into each pocket takes seconds, this new kind of Advent Calendar has changed our Advent completely.
As I listen to the radio, and I hear children call in to tell of what picture they have found behind the door of their calendar, I often wonder what impact a picture of a bell, a present or a fairy have those children. I then think of my kids, learning more of the real story of Christmas, having the enjoyment and excitement of making shortbread to deliver to friends, watching a favourite Christmas film, reading an old Christmas book, writing their Christmas cards and going on our annual "Pyjama Ride". The impact of their Advent Calendar is endless, and creates memories at every turn.
My kids still ask for shop-bought, chocolate-filled Doctor Who, Hello Kitty and Ben 10 Advent Calendars. But as I remind them of our special calendar, the expressions on their faces change to those of pure excitement, at the prospect of all the adventures, activities and surprises that our calendar brings.
So, whether you grab a fabric calendar with pockets, a wooden calendar with drawers or 24 odd socks, pinned up around the house, how about making Advent a really special time in your family? Enjoy more time together and less time stressing. Enjoy the simple pleasures of this mid- winter festival, and do less spending. And even if you can't find the energy to sort out every day, grab your family, watch a Christmas film (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation always works a treat), read The Grinch and eat some mince pies. It's so worth it.