Thursday, December 1, 2022
It looks like Christmas because there are presents!! My sister, Donna, made me an awesome advent calendar and I started it today (Happy December). I realize Advent truly start four Sundays before Christmas and ends the Sunday before Christmas, but ewwwwww. Who wants to do their countdown then? December 1-24 is where it is at!!
I love love love love Advent calendars. I love an everyday activity. I love prizes (prizes are anything you get…you don’t have to win to get a prize…you are winning by getting a prize. Anything could be a prize – it all just depends on how you look at it). I made an Advent calendar for my mom and sister for December 2018, then my mom passed away the following January. I had a lifetime of time spent with my mom, but one of the little things that made me feel good after she passed was that I had made that Advent calendar (rather than just thinking “I would like to do that someday.”) Anyway, when I see ads for Advent calendars, I really want to get them all. I seriously looked at wine and whiskey calendars this year. Twenty-four little bottles of wine or whiskey would actually be a lifetime supply for me, but I looked very longingly at them. The idea that someone made ME an Advent calendar makes me happier than anything else I can think of.
There are no numbers on my advent calendar, so I assume I could go to any one of the circles and punch it open and get my prize. I considered it, for probably almost a minute. Go mad with power and just go into the third row, partway over? Auuuuughh. I couldn’t actually do that. I am a rule follower through and through and through.
My first prize was a re-gift. I know, because I gave it to my sister last year!!! I found a twelve days of Christmas (those are the 12 days AFTER Christmas – 12 days until Epiphany – the day you take your Christmas tree down) (rules, you know. Even if you dream them up yourself) puzzle collection (little puzzles) and sent it to Donna. What I didn’t tell her was the pictures of the puzzles was tucked inside the box…so she had to do the puzzles without being able to see the picture first. I did not do it to be mean – I thought it would be fun. She and Michael are good puzzlers. So, I got my puzzle today and spent quite a long time working on it, because I am an abysmal puzzler. But I DID IT! I was so proud. It was so challenging and fun.
I suspect there will be more puzzles. I look forward to building all of them. AND twelve other prizes. This is so exciting and Christmas-y.
What a great Advent calendar! I say Donna should get tons of sibling points for that one.
I love Advent calendars, too! We didn’t have them growing up. (Baptists did a lot with Christmas and Easter, but little if anything with Advent and Lent. Maybe no Advent and no Lent cancel each other out?) When I discovered Advent calendars as an adult, I started making up for lost time. 🙂 I do one every year that we got at the National Cathedral gift shop. It has pictures of their stained glass, which I remember once I see them, but I don’t know what’s coming when, so I still count it as a surprise for the day. And I do
the virtual Advent calendar from the Jacquie Lawson website. I say it’s become a Christmas tradition for me, but I think it may be more of an addiction. Enjoy 2-24!
Tons of points!!
I don’t remember ever having one as a kid, so I don’t know where my love of them comes from. We have a nativity advent calendar with little stuffie nativity guys. Sean was in high school and she was playing with all the stuffies and asked, “What goes in the pocket? (the manager) Does this sheep go in the pocket?” Of course, Alexander said, “Yes. The sheep goes in the pocket.” And so now, the sheep always goes in the pocket.
I will look up the Jacquie Lawson advent calendar immediately!
And here’s something I learned from my cousin who lives in Las Vegas (where she lives is likely irrelevant, but…) She got a KITTY Advent Calendar. I just now found out that there are all kinds of kitty Advent calendars. I only mention this in case any of the Thompson family kitties might enjoy such a thing.
Kitties! I think kitties love advent calendars. I will research!