the advent of the season

It's December 3rd, which means only 21 days until Christmas. But perhaps more significantly, it means we're 3 days into advent.

My friend Annie and I go way back with advent. In the Glory Years, we created an elaborate advent ritual including candles, crowns, songs (in ASL no less), our nextdoor neighbour and, of course, the advent calendars. Note the plural.

Now we're separated by literally 5,000 miles, so I sent Annie this advent calendar. Partway through making it, I realized that sending a delicate 3-D paper object from Vancouver to Boston may not have been the wisest choice. Surprisingly, however, it arrived intact. A true advent miracle!

The advent tree is made of paper, tape, glue and buttons. You pull out a numbered button every day to read a hilarious Christmas joke. Hilarious, I tell you.