Deeanne Gist - www.deeannegist.com - Inspirational Romance Author

Friday, December 15, 2006

10 Days Til Christmas!

My sister most always makes homemade gifts for Christmas. One year she gave me a tree skirt, another time she made a nifty little quilt that folded up into a little pouch for easy storing or carrying. Several years back she made me the advent calendar I have pictured. Starting at the beginning of December, you flip over a star and it tells you how many days are left until Christmas.
Then, on Christmas Day, the calendar is full of stars.

The kids used to fight over whose day it was to turn over the star. So I had to start marking down whose day it was. Then, they made me mix up the order so the same child didn't always get to turn over the final star year after year.

These days, I don't have to designate who gets what day. As a matter of fact, I don't do anything but hang it up and magically, the stars are turned everyday. I don't really know who turns them over, though.

Neither of my sisters will be in town this year to celebrate Christmas with us, but one of my nephew's will. He and his girlfriend and my parents will come over to our house tomorrow for a big breakfast and a Christmas celebration.

What about you? Do you have advent calendars at your house? Will you be spending the holidays with extended family?

posted by Deeanne at 6:48 PM

7 Comments:

Sharlene MacLaren said...: Good Saturday morning! My dh has six siblings. We will get together at my niece's house later today with all the siblings, their spouses, kids, and kids' kids. Yes, it will be a huge group. It's a wonderful family--all Christians. Unusual, huh. I hear about families who dread the holidays because of all the underlying tension and years of built-up anger. So glad (and blessed) to say we don't have that, either on my side or hubby's.

My immediate family celebrates on Christmas Eve. We attend the CE service, then come home and open presents. Started the tradition when the girls were little so we could get to dh's house and my folks' on Christmas morn. Stuck w/ the tradition over the years.

DH and I wrapped each other's gifts last night. I can tell you I am spoiled! (And I love it.)

Is everyone going shopping today? Thankfully, I'm finished--I think. But then it's not Christmas Eve yet!

Be Blessed,
Shar
Sharlene MacLaren said...: Dee, I forgot to comment on the beautiful advent wall hanging your sis made. Oh, I can just picture your kiddos fighting over whose turn it was to flip over the star. Aren't kids funny?

I'm curious, though, who is the little elf turning the stars over now? Maybe you and Greg should set up a hidden camera. (giggle)

Shar
Barb said...: I try to never shop on a Saturday during the Christmas season, altho I hit the PO this morning. That was enough!
I was raised Lutheran so we always had advent calendars and candles. Then our kids had the calendars (tho not as fancy as yours!), tho we kind of got out of the candle tradition. But now we're visiting an evangelical church with a pastor who came out of a Lutheran background and he's doing the advent candle thing on Sundays and I like it! It's sort of a countdown to Christmas that focuses on Christ instead of how much shopping or baking I have left to get done.
Anonymous said...: Hey Barb, I grew up Lutheran too. I loved the emphasis on Advent. I still do.

When our kids were small, we used a little paper Advent calendar that had a Bible verse from the Christmas story behind each flap. When our oldest was three, she insisted on reading EVERY verse, cumulatively, every night. Not just that day's verse. By Christmas, she had the whole story memorized. It was great.

I still have that calendar, and I betcha she'll want to "borrow" it to use with her own kids one day!
Sharlene MacLaren said...: I'm Wesleyan and our church has always been big into the Advent season. This morning we lit the candle of "joy". I love to see the lit candles. They'll light the final candle this Christmas Eve. Some years our church hands out Advent devotional studies, with a brief reading for each day leading up to Christmas. It just depends from year to year what they decide to do. But we always have the lighting of the candle for the month of December. I love all the traditions of Christmas.

Blessings,
Shar
Deeanne said...: Years ago we went to a church that lit the advent candle. It was so beautiful and special. The church we go to now is non-denominal and they don't have one.

That is soooo neat about your daughter memorizing the Christmas story, Meg. Wow. How awesome is that??
Sandy said...: We've gone to the mega churches (non-denom) where there seems to be very little traditionalism, including singing Christmas carols! It's great to be at our current church (Presbyterian) where there is emphasis on the Advent, including singing the carols and hymns. We will light the last canlde on Christmas Eve. My daughter was asked to play *O Holy Night* on her violin at the candlelight service that night, so it will be a special night. Her teacher is Jehovah's Witness so she cannot help Abby learn any Christmas songs, so Abs (10 yrs. old) learned the song by herself. It's beautiful!