Advent: the fact of an event happening, an invention being made, or a person arriving (Cambridge Dictionary). Eve: the evening or the day before a special day (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, in the interest of being inclusive). Put ‘em together and what have you got?

 

Advent Eve!

 

Correct, 9. And what day are we drafting this blog?

 

The same.

 

Excellent, Lily. Honestly, it’s hard to find the time because this very exciting Advent Eve we are setting up not one, but four different Advent calendars in addition to Advent Bowl. How’s it looking, team?

 

We’ve finished our Advent Bowl list but need to cut it up into 24 different slips.

 

Done!

 

 

And make some special place to set it. With a candle.

 

Got it. Advent Bowl will be the daily starting point of our festivities, first thing in the morning. Since it’s sure to be cold at 5 AM we’ll stage it in the living room, consistently the warmest room in the house. This is also where the Book Lover’s Advent Calendar resides. . .

 

 

One down, three to go.

 

Let’s set up the puzzle next. I measured the dining table to make sure it could handle the width. For purposes of flexibility we’ll put the puzzle felt under it. That way we can roll it up and store it before December 24, if needed.

 

 

Where will we eat?

 

Wherever we want, 9, it’s Advent Bowl season! I’m looking forward our daily 42 piece challenge. We’re all pretty good puzzlers. Maybe we’ll set a timer and aim for a personal best.

 

Let’s not get carried away with numbers, this is supposed to be fun.

 

Ah, but I think numbers are fun! I’m picturing us working the puzzle while we have coffee. Then it will be time to move on to the jams, spreads and honey Advent Calendar. . .

 

 

I hope we have a lot of bread.

 

As luck would have it, Thomas’ brand whole wheat English muffins were half off at the grocery store this week. I bought 2 packs, 12 muffins in all. Worst case scenario we’ll have half a muffin for a platform for 24 days straight! We might even pick up some kind of special bread or scones or something at Wheatland Bakery (number 20 on this year’s Advent Bowl list) to expand the possibilities.

 

Advent Bowl plus the first three Advent Calendars are scheduled for the morning. The fourth Advent Calendar is about self-care and runs seven days. Probably this one will happen in the evening, when it’s time to relax. How to integrate it into the Advent activities schedule baffled me at first. Should we do it all in one week? At last I arrived at a cunning plan.

 

Oh please don’t make us wait to hear it.

 

A+ for snark, Lily. You probably won’t like my solution because it has to do with numbers. I added “+ 7” to seven of the Advent Bowl activities.

 

So on days we get a + 7, that’s when we do the self-care thing?

 

Exactly, 9! Since these items are spa-related, it seemed the bathroom vanity was an appropriate staging area:

 

 

Okay, we’re ready to go! And by the time this posts we will have drawn our first Advent Bowl activity for 2023. Should we tell the people reading this blog what we got?

 

I think we should make them beg.

No, I can’t wait to tell!

 

Thus lies the difference between being nine and fourteen. At sixty-four the culmination of us has developed a little bit of compassion. Okay, readers, it’s:

 

 

Happy Advent to all and to all a Good Morning!