It isn't Christmas in my house without this calendar on the wall. (The picture isn't from this year because it doesn't have as many ornaments on it yet.) I wrote about this important tradition in a previous post.This calendar was made by my Grandma Puzey (no idea when but I don't remember a time we didn't have it) and I have always had some favourite ornaments that I look forward to adding to the tree every year. Maybe you can guess which ones. Can you see these: the Santa face, the candlestick, and the little tree? The blue and white ornaments are fillers - until I can make some proper replacements for ones that went missing long ago.
Other ways to mark the days that I remember using were burning a candle and reading scriptures or singing a carol or occasionally a store bought calendar with candies or pictures in windows. What do you use to count down the days?
Another way to count down is online. There are lots of websites, blogs, and pages of different popular culture that share new content daily in the lead up to Christmas. These are just a few.
Sherlockology (based on the BBC Sherlock series)
The Economist - this one has one of the site's most popular infographic from the year each day
Project Britain - Learn about Christmas traditions around the world.
Back in 2006, I was looking forward to once again following the advent calendar of Leslie Harpold. I had been counting down to Christmas with the aid of her very fun interactive calendars for a number of years (she started in 2001) and she was the first individual I consciously followed online that I had never met in person (as opposed to using the web to look up information from organizations or businesses).
This is the last image Leslie ever posted on her website. She was 40 years old, single, living in New York and posted her writing, images and favourite links on her website, www.harpold.com - which only exists now by means of using the wayback machine. She died in her home over complications from bronchitis. (Yes, Mom - I take it seriously when you are sick! - glad you are well now)
Each new day, her advent calendar would include a happy Christmas memory, a holiday link and something special. It might be a game to make your web page snow. or a recipe for sugar plums.
I have meant to do something similar ever since then and have gotten as far as an interactive calendar page with no content (instead of a tree, I used Christmas presents) but I've settled for writing blog posts this year. So today's post is not such a happy Christmas memory, but they are memories and ones that have stuck with me.
I'll end the post with a song that Leslie shared as one of her "something specials". It is a song by Canadian Ron Sexsmith. And one that I can play on repeat.
The lyrics are as follows:
Maybe this Christmas will mean something more
Maybe this year
Love will appear
Deeper than ever before
And maybe forgiveness will ask us to call
Someone we've loved
Someone we've lost
For reasons we can't quite recall
Maybe this Chistmas
Maybe there'll be an open door
Maybe the star that's shown before will shine once more
Maybe this year
Love will appear
Deeper than ever before
And maybe forgiveness will ask us to call
Someone we've loved
Someone we've lost
For reasons we can't quite recall
Maybe this Chistmas
Maybe there'll be an open door
Maybe the star that's shown before will shine once more
And maybe this Christmas will find us at last
In heavenly peace
Grieve for the least
For the love we've been shown in the past
Maybe this Christmas
Maybe this Christmas
1 comment:
Oh yes Sheri, I have this Christmas count down tree on my wall also. Can you imagine the work for Mom. Cutting out all the felt numbers and ornaments and gluing on the sequins? I wonder how many she made? A dear friend Tove Ludvigsen always gave us a candle when the children were little marked off with the days and we would sing a carol or read a Christmas scripture as it burned each night. Recently Tove has made a Christmas booklet that we read from each night. This year it is called, "Silent Night Holy Night". It contains scriptures and quotes related to each phrase of this Christmas song. One year she gave us a wall hanging with little gifts for the kids to open each day. My granddaughter Neve always makes a Christmas chain of paper loops to mark the days till Christmas (or any special event) and takes one loop off each night. I sure am enjoying your Christmas blog. See you tonight.
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