A few years back I had a twenty-five day countdown to Christmas blog series.\u00a0 It was a wonderful way to reflect upon\u00a0the joy this season brings to my heart.\u00a0 I decided to do the same thing again this year.\u00a0 As we count down the days to the best present the world ever received, I would love to hear from you about what makes the holidays special for you and your family.<\/p>\n
Growing up, I had never heard of an advent calendar until my brother and I acquired an adopted Grandma on the way to a college basketball game.\u00a0 I didn’t learn of advent calendars that night, but I did get North Dakota\u00a0roots\u00a0when my mom\u00a0volunteered to drive\u00a0the grandmother of one of my dad’s players to an away game.\u00a0\u00a0Grandma Nilsen would\u00a0not dream of children not having a grandmother close by.\u00a0 So right there in the spacious and roomy backseat of our Pontiac Catalina (affectionately known in our family as the S.S. Sheran), we became grandchildren to a sweet woman who had no obligation other than her own moral compass to love us.<\/p>\n
She didn’t just pay lip service to this adoption either. There were so many ways tangible and heavenly that she showed us her love.\u00a0 Today, we\u00a0revamped an old\u00a0tradition in our house that remembers one\u00a0started by my ND grandma.\u00a0 That first Christmas she gave us advent calendars.\u00a0 Those drugstore calendars with fun little scenes on the front,\u00a0we would punch out\u00a0 the perforated boxes every night before bed revealing a tiny chocolate treat.\u00a0 A few moments ago, my older daughter said, “Mom, remember those calendars we used to get? Those were the BEST chocolates ever!” I had to smile sheepishly because I knew the theme of today’s blog. Before that first calendar, I had never really heard of advent.\u00a0 Oh! I had anxiously awaited Christmas morning, but I never knew there was a word for that. Advent, meaning coming or arrival, became a new and cherished word.<\/p>\n
I love to craft, and I adore Christmas.\u00a0 Each year, I spend hours that morph into days and weeks creating gifts for those we love.\u00a0 This year, I merged those loves into an upcycled treasure that my\u00a0family can enjoy for years to come.\u00a0 Using old woolen sweaters, I created mittens – twenty-five to be exact.\u00a0 We attached them to a wreath (although a garland would work well too) with clothespins.\u00a0 Each night as we prepare for bed, we\u00a0will remove one mitten and of course, look for a little treat inside.\u00a0 All the while, I will be reminiscing on how one wonderful, giving, fascinating, intriguing, never challenge her in Scrabble,\u00a0but incredibly loving woman showed us God’s love in all the ways that mattered. And isn’t that what Christmas is really about?<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n
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