The onset of Advent

Sunday marked the beginning of Advent, but we are officially starting our countdown to Christmas tomorrow...like everybody else.  Our advent calendar from year's past is still boxed away, but that will change soon enough.  I'm so EXCITED!  I la la la la LOVE Christmas!! 

Last December we found a kid-friendly advent calendar that we are anxious to debut for the boys this year.  It is a Pottery Barn Kids creation and it makes me very happy.  It is nothing fancy, all made from felt and easily duplicated if one were feeling crafty.  But, what makes it especially nice is that I didn't make it.  Plus, I like that it bears a remarkable resemblance to our actual Christmas tree -- even down to the slightly lopsided gold star on top.  Initially, we weren't sure what to put in the pockets of the new advent calendar, but eventually decided on candy canes they could place on the tree.  However, we're open to suggestions for future Christmases, so if you have any brilliant thoughts, please share.

We decorated our tree last week and were sad to discover we are missing a box of ornaments.  I am crossing my fingers they are in the last shipment of things coming from Caracas.  Over the years we have picked up ornaments from all the places we visit in lieu of souvenir t-shirts or other kitsch.  Many of our destination ornaments are in the missing box, so it would be unfortunate if they are gone forever.  Not the end of the world certainly, but sad.  Ah, the trials of putting all your worldly possessions into the hands of strangers every 2 years.  I go back and forth hundreds of times a year between leaving my most precious things in storage and wanting them with me to enjoy.  Thankfully, so far we've avoided any major mishaps, knock on wood.

We have also started buying nativity scenes from places we live and sometimes from places we visit if we can find them without too much difficulty.  It is always interesting to see how different countries and cultures depict the birth of Jesus. 

From left to right we have Columbia, Peru and Venezuela

This is our "traditional" nativity, (i.e. the one we've had the longest), which is from Spain

 Our new apartment is a bit on the small side and does not have a hutch or mantel or anything that naturally lends itself to hanging stockings.  So, we are improvising with this bookcase -- nice, huh?  I am confident Santa will be able to roll with it too.  In my dream house, we will have both a hutch and a mantel and maybe more than one of each.  But, that dream house is practically light years away so in the meantime, one does what one can.  Someday/year, I am going to finally embroider our names on our stockings so I don't have to remember from one year to the next whose is whose.  Kenny is no help with this, by the way.  Apparently, remembering stocking ownership falls into that amorphous category of "things the Mom is supposed to know," along with what to wear in family pictures, what's for dinner and where the scissors are.

Our halls are decked, the cider's mulling, our spirits are bright, the Christmas playlist is on repeat and our ears are cocked for the sound of sleigh bells.  Come on over for some Christmas cheer, we've plenty to share.