Advent calendars

Continuing the Germanic festive theme, today we got the advent calendars out. Liz's mum always sends us a card one with 'windows' and we have another felt one that gets used every year. A & N will open one each morning at breakfast. As a child I remember always being excited by the process, particularly if the windows revealed chocolates. Once I think we tried making a complicated Blue Peter concoction made out of coat hangers, tinsel and candles which hung like an Alexander Calder mobile dripping hot wax on floor and heads. For Liz and I, it symbolizes how little time we have to get everything done. A symbol of stress.