Seasons of Preparation

I love seasons of preparation such as Advent and Lent. They often don't get much recognition - especially as the hype of Christmas overshadows the celebration of Advent. Don't get me wrong. I love the Christmas season - the lights, the decorations, the Christmas markets, the food - but it all feels so empty if there is no meaning behind it.

How many of us countdown (if only in our heads) to our own birthdays? Advent gives us a way to mark the days leading up to the celebration of Christ's birthday. We may never fully grasp the beauty and mystery of God Incarnate, but Advent gives us a month to reflect on the wonderfulness of this Gift during a season that can become chaotic if we lose sight of it all.

This year we are marking the days of Advent with a garland that I made. Each little 'tree' has some delicious German chocolate inside, and we enjoy it alongside selected Biblical Advent readings. I found the idea for the 'calendar' from here. It's pretty simple as Christmas decorations go, but it has spruced up our apartment nicely along with our little sapin de Noel (French for Christmas tree) aka the evergreen UFO. It was cheap and is not quite the shape of a Christmas tree, but we love it.

Many of you know by now that Advent isn't the only countdown to a baby's birth that we are currently taking part in. Only this other countdown thankfully has a bit longer to go...approximately five and a half months to go. Yes, our tiny Parisian studio is now home to three Wards, though thankfully one of us is really small for the moment. This was quite an unexpected surprise and after having a few months to take it all in and freak out quite a bit, we are both very excited and looking forward to welcoming this little one.