open season

Another mixed up year has both whizzed by, and dragged along, and somewhere along the way completely disappeared, washing us up on the shore of Advent Sunday. It really doesn’t feel like it should be. It hasn’t been nearly hot enough, until the last couple of days, to be genuinely considered Christmas Season. And yet, here we are. A neat four weeks until Christmas Day.

For the first time in 18 years, we haven’t marked the opening Sunday of Advent at church. I will confess, while the sleep in was lovely, it felt very strange to be at home all day. Advent One, for us, is normally the craziness of getting four children out the door to church, our usual service, the after church chat with my family glaring at me and tapping their watches. Home for lunch and a mad clean up, before hauling out the boxes and spending the afternoon decorating, just in time to cook dinner.

This year it was slower. The aforementioned sleep in. Coffee number one over the last chapters of a book. Another coffee while the children, finally well, burnt off some energy bouncing off the walls, metaphorically speaking. We pottered about doing some jobs, cleaned out the tree corner, rearranged what we needed to, and then cracked open the candy canes, threw on some carols, and got to work. We were done by lunch time. This afternoon, I’m hoping to get a mini book finished, and my advent art journal started. Like usual, I have plenty of Advent fun planned, both for the children, and for me. To document it all this year, I’m committing the worst of bookish crimes – I’m defiling a book.

There are 24 sides in this Little Golden Book, but since I document the liturgical Advent, not just December, I will need to add two more leaves, to give me my full 28 days. A little experiment makes me feel semi confident I can ease the spine open enough to glue in two new pages. If I end up with a million tip ins like last year though, it may end up too bulky. I’m not getting too attached to any one particular outcome, I may seperate and add book rings. I might stitch bind it. I might try and buy some little golden tape and rebind the whole thing with spacers added. Who knows? December 25 is a long time away, and plans are likely to change a million times between now and then.

Coming into Advent this year, I’m feeling the weight of three years of upside life and uncertainty. I’m tired, and I’m languishing, like many of us, I’m sure. It feels like a lot, right now, even the fun stuff. I do love the magic of the season, though, and the blahness of all the everything is inspiring me to work harder to bring the fun and the creativity and all the everythings. We’ve missed the first two events I’d hoped to take the children to, to kickstart the festivities. One a Christmas themed market and lights display, another a concert & festival night, both in neighbouring towns. In 2022, changed plans are just par for the course, aren’t they? So we’re going to shake it off with a Christmas playlist dance party, and tomorrow, we’re going all in with advent school fun.

28 days, 28 fresh chances for festive fun. Let’s do this!