Pass the coat hangers and tinsel, it's Advent Sunday. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? If you do, you're probably of a certain age and one of many who rushed home after school to watch Blue Peter before tea time. At this time of the year, Blue Peter presenters would have excited the nation's children by lighting the first candle on their advent crown.
This was something they had shown us all how to fashion out of a few wire coat hangers and a length of tinsel, although their finished masterpiece - "one they've made earlier" was seriously superior to anything that an average eight year old could have conjured up. Still, it was a simple joy to know that each of the four candles being lit signalled moving a week closer to our Christmas celebrations.
Alongside this memory, I recall the simple Advent calendars that we had back then. They revealed a picture each day, as the highlight of our December breakfast routine, without a chocolate in sight. They were a far cry from the increasingly elaborate calendars that appear in shops now. I remember my brother and I being excited to find each day's window among the scene on the calendar and to then reveal the picture below. What would it be - a star, donkey, cracker or gift parcel? We were easily entertained back then.
The tradition of Advent calendars (or Adventskalender) is believed to date back to the 19th century, where they were first used by German Lutherans to mark the days passing in anticipation of Christmas. Each window is usually placed in a random order and traditionally culminates with the nativity scene behind the last window on either the the 24th or 25th December.
As well as the calendar, we often had an Advent candle in our house. We would burn it each night, slowly watching each number disappear as December progressed. I recall singing Christmas carols on some of the evenings as we watched the candle burn and other nights we completely forgot and had to play catch-up. I have tried to revive this tradition although it is increasingly difficult to find the numbered candles in the shops. Invariably, I end up having several days worth of burn time to get through on Christmas Eve but actually it just adds to the atmosphere, as I hang up the stockings and anticipate the day ahead, knowing that the shops have now closed and all the preparations are complete.
With the anticipation of Advent in mind, along with the spirit of sharing the delights of the season, I thought I would turn this blog into an Advent calendar of my own - one that is author themed. Each day of Advent I shall be offering little reading delights for your pleasure. So if you'd like to join in with this bit of fun, check back each day until Christmas Eve to see what my Advent windows reveal.
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