When I was a child my Mom used to get my sister and me advent calendars to help us celebrate the holidays. When I was growing up she used to get nice ones from Germany with special chocolate candy inside. What a treat to have a nice piece of candy every day, and how difficult to resist skipping ahead to get more chocolate!
When I was a freshman in college my mom mailed me an advent calendar to the dorm. The same year the professors at OBU put out an advent devotional guide for the holiday. Every night till I went home I read the devotion, and then ate a piece of chocolate.
A couple of years ago my sister Jenni came to visit the weekend after thanksgiving and brought the boys their own advent calendars that she bought at Trader Joe’s in Albuquerque. These calendars featured organic free trade chocolates. The boys were pretty excited and hung them on the door to their bedroom. Matthew’s candy fell out and slipped to the bottom of the box when he hung it up, so that more often than not, when he opened the window, there was no candy reward. Paul discovered with his calendar that the candies were missing as well. As it turned out, before cousin Keenan left, he had helped himself to several of Paul’s candies without telling anyone.
This year the boys and I were at Michaels’ getting supplies for the children’s ornament party and Matthew saw that they had advent calendars so he picked one for himself and one for Paul. I was in Denver on December 1, but Matthew remembered the calendars and he and Paul started in with one piece of chocolate a night. When I flew home on the 10th, they had already had their chocolate but after dinner on the 11th I was ready. Matthew brought me the calendar and opened the 11th window and revealed no candy. So then he tried the 12th, again no candy. Same with the 13th and 14th. I asked if he knew what had happened and he mumbled a response. I tried a different tactic and asked him how many days he had eaten. “I stopped at the 24th, I was saving that one.” I asked him what happened and he explained that he just got carried away, he was counting and opening windows and eating chocolate and before he knew it the candy was gone. Paul said it was probably that he got carried away with the math, because sometimes that happens to him too.
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2023.2
efore anyone points out that I am already behind, I know, believe me, I know. I’m not offering excuses, today, but just letting you know, I...
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ah, yes, the being carried away by math. happens to the best of us....at least the ones in this math geek family!
ReplyDeleteyep, we know all about getting carried away around our house.... thank you for sharing! =D
ReplyDeleteprecious. rb
ReplyDeleteSigh... this is the first year our girls have completely disrespected the advent.... and eaten the candy. They share an advent, and one gets odds (the first to eat a candy) and the other gets evens (the last to eat a candy). the girls just aren't into it like they were before. i'm losing my babies. i'm heading toward a boring life of solitude... and you're leaving me too.... take me with you.
ReplyDeletePaul forgets to do it, so then he has to catch up 4 or 5 days at a time. Matthew, just sighs loudly and counts how many days he has left till the 25th when he can have his last piece.
ReplyDelete