Every Christmas, my mom would hang up "the big Advent" calendar. Growing up, we all thought that it was cool.. We loved turning over the felt, hand-made ornaments, which would then reveal a Christmas symbol, and tucked neatly inside was a typed description of the significance and purpose for this Christmas token. Year after year, we would turn and read, usually fighting over whose turn it was, not noticing how the elaborate details of each of the tiny "ornaments."
The calendar was given to Mom by Grandma Vreeken who made it herself. Supposedly she had seen something like it in the window of a Store Window (possibly ZCMI), and it was way to pricey to purchase, and my "Martha Stewart" grandma thought, why I could make that, and she did! She made 25 little delicate and intricate ornaments, and hung them on a tree. She made it for her Grandchildren to enjoy. Enjoy we did, year after year, and it still hangs in my mom's front room each Christmas. Well, a couple of years ago, my sisters and I decided "WE" wanted a calendar for our own families, (to enjoy)! So our quest began. What we thought would take a day, turned into hundreds, (I'm not kidding, ask my cute sister in law - who after a while thought we were nuts, and we had to convince her that everyone needed one in their house), yes hundreds of hours to make. As we "copied" each ornament, cutting each little detail out of felt, we learned really how much our Grandma loved us, and loved our mom. (We all joked that we couldn't imagine making something like this for our daughter-in-law, ha ha). We already knew that Grandma never did something at the accepted level, she always went above and beyond, exceeding all expectations.
Well, When we finally finished the calendar, I came to some conclusions; first, that I wasn't going to make another one of these (atleast not until my daughters "need" one in their homes). Second, that my grandma was simply incredible, amazing, and so extremely talented!!! Third, that I couldn't wait to hang it up, and start turning over each ornament, and reading the stories, which remind me of her! She loved Christmas, she loved family, she loved tradition. So, this is my favorite Christmas decoration. My children probably think as I do, yes it's cool, but someday they will understand and learn as I did, that this calendar is far more than a decoration. It is love, it is family, it is tradition. It is Christmas!!
PS. If you want me to make you one, just let me know... ha ha just kidding....
