An Advent Calendar.

Last week I received the most amazing package in the mail. It was from my parents and it was a new and very creative advent calendar! I opened the box and the first thing I received was instructions:

So after I did steps one through five (yes, Morris did get some cookies!) I started in on number 6, unwrapping the actual calendar. I instantly recognized the material used to create it, moulding from my parent's house. After I read the little blurb on the back confirming this I thought I wonder what door they retrieved this wood from and hoped the didn't do it to an obvious place! After talking with them I discovered that they did not demolish a current door in their house and that the moulding was removed during a project years ago! phew!  

On the back my mother had written a little notation about the wood and the purpose of the project: 

For Emma Elizabeth Hartsog - Christmas 2010
This is crafted from door moulding that was removed from Emma's childhood home in Laurel, MD. The house has no date of when it was built, but we know it was standing 1880s.
This 'Advent Calendar" is being sent to Hawaii -- hopfully to cheer up Emma during JJ's first deployment.
The main theme of this calendar is Joy -- So appropriate, as Emma has always been the Joy for her parents.
With all our Love,
Mom and Dad

I must admit that the thoughtfulness of my parents was a little overwhelming and at this point I needed to take a moment to absorb it all. Feeling a little more in the Christmas spirit I dug into my storage to retrieve some of my Christmas decorations. Not going all out this year, I just grabbed my feather tree and a few other decorations. 

After getting my mini tree up and looked around my living room to find a location for my "Joy Calendar." I wanted to put it out in the open so I could constantly see it. I hung it up in my foyer under my knickknack shelf.

 

I forgot to take a picture early on, but it looks so pretty with the tags/days hanging from it!

Aren't the tags pretty and creative!

Now everyday, I get to come downstairs and pick up a little something under my tree for me!  It is making the distance between Hawaii and Maryland not seem so vast and it is a wonderful feeling to know people are out there, thinking about me. I am also enjoying opening the packages that sporadically arrive with more days on them and organizing them under my little tree. 

 The calendar is truly achieving it's purpose, everyday it brings a little more joy into my life. I hope that your holiday season is filled with joy. I am thinking of all of you often and I miss spending loads of time with you. 

Mele Kalikimaka