In keeping with last week’s decision to not let the B-words get me down (at least in terms of blog topics), this week is about a holiday tradition of my own invention. Starting in December 2019, I celebrate the first 24 days of the month playing Advent Bowl.

 

Are there lots of treats in it this year?

 

A healthy (or maybe not so healthy?) sprinkling of them, 9. One activity is specifically targeted for you so I won’t spoil the surprise. I also included:

 

*Rice pudding for dinner

*Americano from Walla Walla Roastery (IMO, the best in town)

*Making double-chocolate walnut biscotti- –

 

Yum!

 

And:

 

*Adding brandy to whatever type of nog calls to me from the grocery store shelves.

 

In years past, I’ve deposited all 24 activity slips into a cut glass jar. This year, looking at my schedule that is mysteriously jammed with events, I am loading only six activities at a time, 4 batches that vary in difficulty that won’t put too much pressure on the extra busy weeks. For example, the biscotti-making activity that requires time and forethought is in batch four. This week, I’m in the midst of four social outings and a couple of appointments, so batch one is fairly easy to accomplish:

12/1     Write a letter to Santa- -this ended up being a “hi, how are you” missive rather than I “what I want” list

12/2     Rotate one Christmas CD into the CD player- -because filling all five slots, as I’ve done in the past, is really too much of a good thing.

12/3     Post my Grinch and my (late) friend Craig’s dancing elf photos to Facebook

12/4     Do Lesson One of Coffee Break Italian (just for something different). Ciao!

12/5     Animal shelter donation

 

And today:

 

12/6     Play something on the accordion from the Cajun song book

 

Are there Christmas Cajun selections?

 

No, Lily, but most of the arrangements are wildly festive. This is part of working up to a Batch Two activity: Practice “Silent Night” on the accordion and serenade _______________ (a friend, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise in case they are reading this) sometime in the next 2 days.

 

Why would you do that to a friend?

 

Moving right along, I’ve also been keeping pace with three Advent Calendars that came my way as birthday gifts. One is the traditional paper variety:

 

 

Another is a jigsaw puzzle:

 

 

The third is digital and interactive:

 

The paper one is, you know, pretty normal. The jigsaw is fun to work with morning coffee, 50 pieces per day and an activity I anticipate with joy.

 

But the digital one- -it’s easy to see how computer games become addictive. Set in a beguiling digital Paris, any given day might have an animation of what goes on behind the storefronts, or (here’s the highly addictive part) a little game to play. Over and over and over again. My favorite so far involves lining up matching Christmas ornaments on a grid by dragging them one space vertically or horizontally. When 3 or more of the same ornament are in alignment, they shatter! And with a most satisfying audio of breaking glass.

 

Why do I love this game so much? I think it harkens back to toddlerhood, when I was caught in the act of smashing my tiny fist on top of each egg in a carton that my mom and sister had just dyed for Easter. There’s a photo of this somewhere, black and white, naturally, with me on a step ladder so I can reach the counter. It’s those old traditions that keep us going, right?

 

As if the shattered ornaments weren’t enough temptation, I also have a digital Paris apartment! I have the option to redecorate it at whim and many gifts to open there. The weather changes out the floor to ceiling windows. There’s a cat that raises its head and says a delightful “Mew” when clicked.

 

Now through the 24^th I will continue my service to the three Advent calendars, as well as performing daily activities drawn from Advent Bowl. Activities designed for 9, Lily and me, ranging from charitable to wellness to just plain fun and different.

 

Because in today’s world, prompts are pretty darn handy for keeping things Merry and Bright.