Last year I did a series of posts through December which I tagged as “Festive Flotsam” — and I enjoyed it so I’m doing it again! Rather than make a new tag, I will re-use the old one, which I think is fair game!
I missed yesterday, but it took me several days into December last year to figure it out so one day still puts me ahead of myself. 😉 Here’s the first two entries:
December 1: Adventword
Advent is the period of time leading up to Christmas. The Anglican Church — or more specifically the worldwide Anglican Communion — are using social media to reach out to their members and the effect is even further reaching. With the idea of building a “global advent calendar” and encourage prayer on a single word each day, members are encouraged to take a photo and share it on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #adventword. Sign up to receive the words, then click and share. (At that link they also have a list of all the words as a cheat sheet!)
I’m not an Anglican, or even particularly Christian in my beliefs, but I can get behind this project by replacing prayer with meditation. By thinking about the word, I am able to frame a photo that reflects what it means to me, and share that with others. I actually think it’s pretty brilliant as outreach goes. The first words (starting on November 30) were Look (shown above), Remember, and Imagine. You can follow me on Instagram to see my #adventwords.
December 2: Advent Calendars
While on the subject of Advent, I have fond memories of waxy chocolate advent calendars. Now, of course, there are many different options for advent calendars, from the traditional cardboard-and-chocolate to various LEGO advent calendars to the Phillips Brewery Advent case (24 different beers!).
For many years, my daughter had a re-usable advent quilt that I made her, with pockets we filled for her. Some treats, and some toys, and some just little trinkets. Easy enough to make and I may even put together a DIY if anyone is interested.
If you are curious, Mental Floss put together a good History of Advent Calendars that is worth a read.