A Happy Advent Calendar

(Rörstrand porcelain: Starboy)

Happy first Advent of the season! I truly love this time of year in Stockholm and the Swedes really know how to celebrate it with all of the cozy candlelit cafes filled with delicious warm drinks and saffron buns, just to mention a few of the wonderful treats. Starting today you also begin to see paper star lanterns and advent candlesticks in home and shop windows, emitting a soft warm glow and brightening up the dark winter days. 

And of course, there is the advent calendar. This year I decided to make my own to tick off the days until Christmas. Instead of purchasing a pre-made advent calendar with candies hidden behind a paper lock/door, I thought it would be fun to make an advent calendar with things to do each day as opposed to simply eating a small chocolate. Don't get me wrong, these small actions could easily include a yummy treat, as you'll notice number one below commands you to enjoy a hot chocolate. And that means today in case you were wondering.

So instead of going to yoga class this morning, I sat at my desk cutting out and gluing Christmas-themed symbols to represent each day of my calendar. I also shamelessly admit that I listened to Christmas music as I worked. It was very much a meditative act so I didn't feel so bad about missing yoga, and I did go for a run in the afternoon so it seemed justified. My cat was also very helpful (not). She especially loved when I got to the part of attaching strings to each day's symbol. I finally gave her a piece of the string to go play with, which has since vanished. I hope she didn't eat it! (I am pretty sure she did not eat it). 

Below is my list of action messages for each day. Feel free to follow along, or borrow them for your own daily advent action calendar. You could even write them on a piece of paper and tuck them into your children, your girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, or wife's lunches, tuck them under a pillow, or tape the message to the bathroom mirror for someone, even yourself, to find each morning. It warms the spirit to have something happy or positive to think about each day. What is more positive or happy than celebrating fond memories, or creating new ones? 

1. Enjoy a hot chocolate to kick off Advent.

2. Give a surprise treat to someone. 

3. Send a handwritten letter to someone you haven't seen or spoken to in a long time. 

4. Watch a Christmas movie to get into the holiday spirit.

5. Call someone you haven't spoken to in a while to brighten their day. 

6. Drink glögg with a friend or loved one. 

7. Bake homemade cookies. 

8. Write your favorite quote or poem on a piece of paper & leave it somewhere for a stranger to find. 

9. Give someone a compliment.

10. Listen to Christmas music.

11. Make Christmas candy.

12. Go for a walk and look at Christmas lights.

13. Celebrate St. Lucia day.

14. Go get a Christmas tree! 

15. Go to the “Pussstation” (literally: kissing station) at Central Station and kiss under the mistletoe.

16. Take a friend out for coffee or fika & talk about your favorite holiday memories. 

17. Watch the movie "Elf" & have something cozy and warm to drink. 

18. Wrap Christmas presents and listen to Christmas music. 

19. Send someone a secret Santa surprise. (Shhh! Don’t tell… it’s a secret!)

20. Eat gingerbread cookies & blue cheese (yes, together… super yummy!)

21. Decorate clementines with whole cloves & red ribbons. 

22. Drink hot spiced buttered rum & apple cider.

23. Eat hazelnuts and play filipin!

24. Do everything and anything that is Christmas-y! 

Looking Forward... and Looking Present

I love having something to look forward to. Whether it be a vacation or trip, a holiday to be celebrated with family, a friends visit, a birthday party or other festivity, going to a dance performance, or trying a new restaurant, among hundreds of other fun things. But what I've been thinking about more and more lately is the fact that in looking forward to these events I often cheat myself out of just enjoying the everyday passage of time. I often find that in the anticipation leading up to an event, that precious hours, minutes seconds, even days of my life merely fly by as I "can't wait" for the next big thing to happen.

My anticipation and longing for the weekends is included in this “looking forward to” madness. Sometimes I feel like I live merely for the weekends (& other events that I look forward to). Every other day is just some nuisance that I have to endure before work ends on Friday and I am free to do whatever I want for two days. But lately I have been thinking more and more about the time in between weekends, holidays, vacations, and other “looked forward to” festivities, and I’ve realized that the time in between is just as precious. 

Every moment of our lives is time that we get to enjoy our families, friends, and the beautiful planet we live on. What if instead of constantly “looking forward” to the next big thing we “look present” instead? I realize this can be difficult when some big event or happening we’ve yearned for is fast approaching, but humor me and just try “looking present” every day this week and see if anything changes. See if you experience Monday differently, or Tuesday, or Wednesday, etc. 

Maybe a new perspective will present itself. Perhaps you’ll see that you have time for smaller things during the days of the week, such as taking the time to handwrite a letter to someone you love, or telephoning a friend you haven’t spoken to it months. Look and see what opens up for you! And then report back to me what you’ve discovered. I will do the same later in the week!

Happy Monday!