advent

When I was a lass I ran for the advent calendar first thing in the morning. One morning when I was eight there was nothing in it yet. I stood there confused for a second. Then I went back to bed, being as noisy as possible past my mom's bedroom door. I waited there until I heard her boiling water for tea, then pretended to just wake up and ran for the advent calendar. We protected each other's innocence.

This year the boys noticed a line in a song about three days of Solstice, and it was a Pagan song, so I jumped on the excuse and got them an advent calendar -- just a cardboard & chocolates drugstore one. (I haven't worked up the nerve to ask Mom if I can have the calendar of my childhood, a fabric and sequins deal my thirteen-year-old sister probably no longer cares about.) They don't run for it in the morning, but that's probably because they keep forgetting about them. As the days go by, they remember earlier on. Today they remembered by lunch.

Next year, we should have one that runs twenty-one days. I'm going to make one, I think. I am not so lousy with felt and floss and I sure do have a lot of it. To reconcile this with my rule of not doing more for Winter Solstice than I would do for Beltane, the actual other gigantic Pagan holiday (the first being Samhain), I will also make a Beltane advent calendar. Reckless, blatant stealing of traditions? Yep. That's an ancient Pagan thing, too. Just ask the Romans.

Since Beltane is closer (May 1st) than the next Winter Solstice, I'll start on that one first. The tricky part will be designing it. Should I decorate the pockets? Have plain pockets beneath (or around?) the applique?