An advent calendar

Last sunday morning we decided we were going to make an advent calendar.  (Normally I don't think about doing this until the first week of December when it's already too late, but not this year!)  With just two pieces of A3 card, a red for the top and a green one for the bottom.  My husband meticulously cut a christmas tree  out of the red card so the green card underneath would show through.  Then the girls got busy drawing decorations to go on the tree, robins, baubles, snowmen, stars, etc.  We cut them out and placed them inside each of the 24 pockets.  When December starts they will take turns to take a decoration out of that day's pocket and place it on the tree on the calendar.  On Christmas Eve they will get to put the fairy on the top.

What a great way to start a sunday it was.  We were all involved in the process, even my three year old got to decorate the pictures with glitter and drew around each of the numbers on the pockets.  I just love it when we all work on a project together and it is taken very seriously by all concerned. When everyone has their head bent over their work is when I stop to savour the moment.  That we were all together for the day, no school, no nursery, no work.  We were warm and cosy in our house and still in our PJs. We were all working together on something fun and there was no where else where anyone of us wanted to be other than right in that moment.  When our work was done, the girls went running off to play, I started the breakfast dishes, my husband went out for a run.  It was like a magical bubble had burst, but it was so, so sweet while it lasted.  Of course, now my girls are very excited about Christmas a little too soon and are asking me "how many sleeps until Christmas day?" and "when can we get the decorations out of the attic?"  That's O.K., I'm excited too, it's a time when there will be many more 'magical bubbles' to savour.