My personal advent calendar

When I suggested we skip celebrating Christmas last year, it spoke of how heartsore we both were. Christmas is not only my favourite holiday season but, over the years, I’ve managed to infect Himself with the joy too. This year, the focus will be on lots of small joys rather than big activities, and even if they’re unlikely to happen in the order they appear on my list below, those joys will include…

  1. Jostein Gaarder’s “The Christmas Mystery”
    This simple and beautiful book will be started on the 1st and dipped into each day during Advent, as designed. I’ve read it before but, this time I’m being disciplined and will enjoy it as a daily treat.
  2. Festive Magazines
    My annual treat – I buy swathes of them to pour over. With a new home to decorate, I’ll doubtless be tearing out pages containing new ideas and inspiration – especially as I now have a mantelpiece.
  3. Street & shop festive decorations
    We’ve not visited Midhurst at Christmastime, so have no idea what to expect. But with the many architectural beauties at their disposal, I’m hopeful of some fine subjects to capture on camera.
  4. Shopping for garlands
    I’ve had some beauties in the past, but those were amongst items selected by family members to add to their own decorating stash when I had my big down-size. So, despite not being a big shopper, I shall be shopping, for clearly that mantelpiece is crying out for a garland.
  5. Watch Christmas films
    This is where you can help me my lovely readers. I’m a fan of an old film or musical so would happily watch Meet Me in St Louis, Holiday Inn, The Bishop’s Wife or It’s A Wonderful Life, but know that Himself would rather stick pins in his eyeballs 😢 His idea of a Christmas film is Die Hard (great action film but not holiday viewing imho). I’ve suggested The Nightmare Before Christmas which doesn’t float his boat, and while he’s sat through The Holiday and Love Actually, he’ll be needing a break from them. All the modern ones we’ve watched have been dire – Elf aside – and this time it’s me who needs a little break. So we’re down to A Christmas Carol, one of the Muppet films, or Charlie Brown… unless you can help?
  6. Buy new pyjamas for Christmas Day
    Not Christmas themed ones, but a new pair from my favourite emporium. They’ll be my gift to myself.
  7. Visit a local Christmas market
    Just around the corner is where local craft markets are held throughout the year. I’ve mooched around one since moving here, but clearly the Christmas one will be a draw.
  8. Wintry Reading
    Each year, I select books with a wintry or festive theme to read in the run up to Christmas. I’ve a few left over from last year and have added a couple of new ones. I anticipate much snuggling under blankets with cups of tea.
  9. Go for a winter drive
    The countryside around here is lovely. Until we can enjoy it on long walks again, a drive will be the next best thing. And, as a bonus, we can check out the street decorations in other local towns in case ours fail to make the grade.
  10. Mulling apple juice or cider
    I know mulled wine is more traditional, but I really prefer apple juice or cider.
  11. Create a vision board for 2026
    This probably doesn’t seem particularly festive – but next year will be one of big changes, so I think December will be a good time to channel Mark and get my manifesting hat on.
  12. Spa day
    Or more likely some sort of pampering – a facial, a manicure and pedicure – but somewhere nice, quiet and restful, not business-like, noisy and rushed.
  13. A festive simmer pot
    Himself struggles with breathing if I burn candles or essential oils, so I am tempted to try a festive simmer pot. How well that will go down with the kitchen being his domain is anyone’s guess, but it will help with getting me into the festive mood.
  14. Christmas music
    I’ve a fairly comprehensive festive music selection, but this year I’m open to updating it – all your suggestions gratefully received. Any artists, any genre!
  15. Making Decorating a Wreath
    I have a very lovely faux wreath which I decorate myself. Although Himself doesn’t use the front door here, meaning I’m not limited on my choice of door decoration by him having to fit his broad frame through the door, I’m inclined to hang it indoors so we get to enjoy it’s beauty ourselves.
  16. Decorating the front door
    While the building has a very fine front door and is one I’d love to adorn, being the newbies, I shall wait and see if one of the longer term residents has already earmarked this as their own domain. Our personal front door leads onto an indoor hallway and, while not grand, I can decorate it without concern for the weather.
  17. Decorate the front windows
    Our apartment has two big windows which are street facing. As I’m leaving the main front door alone, I want to decorate the front windows. Clearly white lights, but am also pondering paper snowflakes and festive messages sprayed onto the glass in “snow”.
  18. Putting up the tree
    I usually try to get the apartment decorated for Christmas in one day, so there’s minimal clutter to cause Himself stress. But, this year, it may take me a couple of days. Once the tree is up, I can focus on all the other ideas I’ve got percolating in my mad festive brain.
  19. Bring nature indoors
    In the past, I’ve strung decorations on an attractively twisted branch and filled a fireplace with pinecones I’ve collected. I don’t know what it’ll be, but the holly is looking especially good this year.
  20. The Grandbugs pre-Christmas visit
    My daughter’s new house is still a bit of a minefield for Himself (uneven surfaces and bits of renovating work in progress), so on the final weekend before Christmas, we will welcome them here. I’m hopeful of dry weather so they can romp in the garden, otherwise I anticipate a degree of chaos…
  21. Attend a local carol service
    I’ve not attended a carol service in person in a very long time. But we have a church literally a few doors down from us, so this year, I’d like to change that.
  22. A seaside stroll & picnic
    A trip to the south coast for a stroll along the seafront, going somewhere we know and love. We’ll also take flasks of tea, coffee or hot chocolate and lovely chunky sandwiches for an outdoor picnic.
  23. Stargaze on a clear night
    We’ll need to keep an eye on the weather forecast, but if we wrap up warm and take hot drinks with us, we’ll get a fabulous view of stars in the light-pollution free night skies we enjoy here right from our garden.
  24. Celebrating Christmas Eve
    We generally open some fizz and enjoy some Scandinavian fare – just the two of us – regardless whether we are at home for the big day or not.
  25. Christmas Day
    This year, I plan on persuading Himself to let me take over the cooking on Christmas Day. He cooks all year round with the exception of weekend breakfasts, but I enjoy cooking and the Christmas Day menu is very much in my wheelhouse.


As ever, I’ll be taking my usual winter break – so send you all best wishes for a happy festive season and thank you for your company during 2025 🙂

What plans do you have for the run up to the festive season? And please don’t forget to share your Christmas music and film suggestions…

© Debs Carey, 2025

17 thoughts on “My personal advent calendar”

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  1. Holiday markets. Tree lighting at local park. Store windows on fifth avenue including rock center tree. The met Christmas tree. Mulled cider. Decorating our tree. Holiday music. It’s a wonderful life and the Alistair sim version of A Christmas carol. See the original copy of the Dickens classic at the Morgan library. Gingerbread.

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  3. Debs- you have a LOT on your list. I just cleaned my bathroom and that’s enough for a few days for me 🙂 There are a few markets that we might try to take in and I believe we’re doing a holiday lights at the Denver Botanic Garden closer to Christmas itself. Daughter and grands are doing treats and I have a large holiday puzzle going which is a tradition for me.

    I like to listen to traditional holiday carols and Celtic music as well and have that playing a lot. Two of my favorite songs are Carol of the Bells and Sleigh Ride. As to movies- Rudolph was my favorite as a child. My kids grew up with A Christmas Story and Home Alone. I have also been known to partake in the famous Hallmark Christmas movies/love stories sometimes. Corney and silly for sure, but that’s part of the fun- the trite nature that comes with every movie.

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  4. I may not get to everything Deb, but if I don’t aim high, I’ll be disappointed by the things I didn’t think about. I’ve ticked 4 items off the list already. Having been disappointed that my town’s high street decorations were somewhat pedestrian, I’ve seen that they’re having a competition for best festive window and shop after shop are rising to the challenge. By next week, I hope to have some excellent subjects for my camera walk 🙂

    Carol of the Bells is my favourite too. I’d do corney & silly films, but Himself wouldn’t be able not to harumph, which could spoil the enjoyment. That said, his “humorous” suggestions from last year were so dire, I may have my way anyway! I want to do a holiday puzzle but don’t have the space to give over to one (yet).

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  5. This sounds so lovely and merry!

    I want to hear more about your local Christmas markets. We have Christkindlmart in Chicago- I’m wondering if it’s like that?

    I’m listening to my holiday music playlist as I write this. I haven’t felt like listening to holiday music the last couple of holidays, it’s nice to be in the spirit again. 🎄

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  6. The shop windows should be fun to look at and vote on! I bet there will be some interesting ones. The puzzle takes some planning and I do have a folding table just big enough but my space is much smaller now so I’ve had to do some adjusting. We are getting blanketed in snow so my job later will be to go out and try to get most of the buildup off of my car before it freezes solid.

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  7. These all sound lovely. I’ve finished the decorating, but still have baking and hosting to do, as well as a few holiday parties. Two of my siblings will be in town with their families over the holidays, which never happens. So that is exciting.

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  8. Your advent calendar list sounds wonderful and I look forward to your photos. It’s been over ten years since I was around Midhurst or any villages back in my home county.

    My wife and I are house-bound so our Christmas will be enjoyed through others’ eyes. We have an animated Advent calendar from a British card company, featuring a wintry English village to explore every day.

    Have a great Advent to Epiphany season… and beyond.

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  9. What a wonderful list! The Christmas tree lighting here in Edmonds took place this past Saturday. It’s a tall bright tree near the middle of town. I haven’t been down to the waterfront yet, but the boat docked there are always decorated with lots of lights.

    Deb mentioned Carol of the Bells which I always liked, but now hearing its history I enjoy even more. It’s a Ukrainian folk song about a swallow, the herald of spring, flying into the house proclaiming a bountiful year.

    My youngest daughter and her family will be flying in on the 23rd and staying for a week. I’m looking forward to that.

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  10. Deb, I’m always torn by feeling overwhelmed with the fear of dealing with snow and the joy of seeing it making the world look so gorgeously crisp. We’re back to alternating bright sunshine and heavy rain – the usual British weather. I’ve been holed up in our apartment for a while as there’s been decorators in doing the central areas and they’ve required that my interior front door be left open. And as they leave the main front door open as well, I’ve not felt able to wander. They’ve finally finished, so I’m digging around to find the options for my front door festive decor before I head out with my camera. I am hopeful 🙂

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  11. I always imagine that chez Ashbough always smells absolutely wonderfully of baking, but I’m guessing things go up a significant notch at this time of year.

    Also great to hear that you have family member visiting who are exciting rather than groan inducing 🙂 I hope you have a wonderful time! We’re still working our way through the rash of early December birthdays in my family, and we don’t tend to discuss Christmas until after they’re done with. Other than thatmy daughter’s family are planning to be just them in their new home this year at the request of the children. My daughter had a brief wobble thinking she ought to invite us, until Himself & I firmly took my grandchildren’s side. They’ve done so much hosting over the years, they’ve earned a relaxed holiday in their PJs.

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  13. This is a great list, Deb! But clearly you have never seen “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” because that is one of the all-time greatest films…not just over the holidays but ever.

    And good luck booting Himself out of the kitchen on Christmas Day. Sounds like cooking is in his blood.

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  14. I’ll be honest Autumn, prior to hearing the children ask for it, I’d worried more about the burden on my daughter. But they’re growing up fast and want their home to be their home on Christmas Day in a relaxed fashion, rather than a place where the large extended family congregate, and they have to be on best behaviour.

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  15. Is this where I admit I’ve seen no National Lampoon films… but I suspect Himself will be delighted with you voting for that one! 😀

    It is in his blood but I really would like him to have a proper rest over the break. I agree, it’s unlikely to happen. The other day I broached the subject and got as far as him accepting I *might* be allowed to do the donkey prep work. I haven’t played the guilt card, but the truth is, I genuinely do miss cooking.

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