Mawnin, mawnin! Welcome back to my Blogmas 2021!

When I was considering taking up the Blogmas challenge I knew instantly that I would not have been able to do 24 straight days. That would have been a recipe for failure before I even began properly. I applaud those who can and I’m good with twelve days but it did get me thinking about countdowns and specifically Advent Calendars.

Now I am Catholic so the depth of the meaning of Advent is not foreign to me, however like everything else on this planet this ‘waiting’ period has been subjected to a glorious measure of commercialization which I can’t argue with, such is life, ah so it go. I feel like this year kept up the 2020 energy so much that I don’t blame mankind for looking forward to anything that brings some measure of joy (in the ordinary or extraordinary) while we keep floundering through this panettone*.

Now for Christmas this year I am adamant about two things:

1. EYE MUSTTTTT finish ‘put away’** early even if I have to put in overtime. This Christmas prep down to the wire thing is not cutting it anymore (then when the 25th reach you feeling drained and wondering if all ah dat was for one day).
2. EYE MUSTTTT not wait for December 25th to actually celebrate Christmas, it being a whole season after all, so something has to be done intentionally each day to feel the joy at the heart of it!

So I caved in the name of capitalism and got an Advent Calendar.

The question is what did I fill it with? To say this particular train is lacking passengers is completely accurate. I asked the older two gremlins and they shrugged (because it is their default expression these days). I asked the husband and he did the “ok cool, whatever you want to put, do your thing” thing. I asked the last one he yelled CANDY!!! to which I responded CANDY IS NOT MEANINGFUL!!!!! (and then he shouted back YES IT IS! I LOVE IT!) putting us right back to square one.

After much deliberation (with myself) I finally decided on Christmas movies. I wrote twenty-four Christmas movie classics, cut them out, put them in a box and then the last gremlin filled in the calendar randomly with the slips of paper.

Now you might think that I could have added treats or playtime activities but no because 1) they all have two whoooole snack baskets in the kitchen at their disposal and 2) playtime is relative to only what the youngest gremlin feels like doing and remember ah still hadda put away meh house. Movies at night however is always a win.

How is it going? Well only the youngest and I have held it up and I am cool with that. The others will fall in eventually as we get nearer. We conquered Elf and A Christmas Story so far, ate Pringles and discussed why spaghetti and maple syrup would not make a great meal. Life lessons in .

Do you have an Advent Calendar? What are some of the items you put in it? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Bless

TMIDM

*pandemic

**paint, clean, polish, mop, clean windows, hang up curtains, bake ham etc.