Start Your Advent Calendars

Happy December first. It’s time to start your advent calendars!

As a child one of my great Aunts, not sure which one, but I would bet my Aunt Maize, my grandmother’s twin, would sent us a paper advent calendar. We would punch open the little door each day to reveal a tiny picture of things like an angel or a trumpet. There were not gifts or candy inside. We were just excited see what the picture would reveal. It always had a religious theme. In fact the big window was often behind the baby Jesus and it was usually a star.

The fanciest those advent calendars ever got was when they had a bit of sparkle on them. Of course glitter was not really a happy addition since it became a plague on the house.

Later on, well after I was grown, advent calendars became a chocolate delivery system. Why should Easter, Valentine’s Day and Halloween hog all the chocolate? Those were the advent calendars that Carter had. She was not much of a chocolate fiend so doors would often get opened late. I think I sent her an advent calendar last year that had beauty products in it and she opened all the doors as soon as she got it. So much for the anticipation of the coming Christ.

Now we have two advent calendars in our house to start today. Both are for Shay. When I asked Russ to bring them in from the garage he looked at the giant one and said, “Who needs grandchildren when you have a dog?”

Before dinner we will open both little doors and give Shay her treat. She really likes the traders Joe’s dog advent calendar’s sweet potato teats. I am certain that Jesus will be Ok with Shay being the only recipient of the advent treats. Dog is God spelled backwards after all.