The advent calendar that has caused much discord at my house.
“PEACE ON EARTH, good will toward men.”
Or, more accurately for my family, this should be rephrased as “Peace at our house, good will between siblings.”
Yes, thankfully, rivalry and teasing among my three offspring have pretty much ceased. Maturity and living under three separate roofs explain everything. The girls have been gone for years—off to college and one now onto a career. That leaves only my 15-year-old son at home with me and my husband.
I don’t miss the bickering, especially during the holiday season. Every December, I could expect my kids to squabble over—get this—an advent calendar.
My Aunt Dorothy crafted the felt calendar some 20 years ago. It’s darling with red rickrack trimming a large piece of white felt adorned with a Christmas tree and numbered pockets. Inside each pocket, Dorothy placed tiny, holiday-themed items like a snowman, bells, gingerbread boy, dove and so forth. (I’m uncertain, though, what a mouse has to do with Christmas.) Each day, my kids were to remove the “ornament” from the appropriately-dated pocket and attach it to the tree.
In a perfect world, the kids would take turns. But, as all mothers know, this is not a perfect world with perfectly-behaved children.
So, each December morning, it became a race to see which kid would make it downstairs first to nab the ornament from the pocket and slap it onto the tree. This system, of course, failed. All attempts to resolve the conflict also failed.
Fast forward to 2009. “Are you putting the ornaments on the advent calendar every day?” I ask my son.
“Yes,” he replies with less enthusiasm than I expect.
And then he admits, upon my probing, that the advent calendar tradition has lost much of its appeal. That, he confesses, has everything to do with the lack of daily competition among him and his sisters.
Perhaps I should put a little excitement back into this tradition. Since he’s still sleeping, I’m going to pull the holly from the December 12 pocket and hang it on the tree.
There, the deed is done.
Will my 15-year-old notice? Will he care? Have I just destroyed peace and good will in my house?
Some of the felt ornaments adorning the advent calendar Christmas tree. See the holly? I added that ornament.
© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Of course our advent calendar is up too. And now I am the only one placing the figures on it. I miss the boys arguing over whos turn it was. Now Craig and Grant each have their own. Just like yours! The mouse?? When the boys were little there was a book called “Santa Mouse” now you know why he is there. I of course love seeing your calendar. Just like mine!!!! Love You, Aunt Dorothy
“Once there was a little mouse who didn’t have a name. He lived in a great big house, this mouse…” Of course, I know Santa Mouse, Aunt Dorothy. You gave that book to Amber when she was a baby. I’m glad to hear that my kids weren’t the only ones who fought over the advent figures. And FYI, Caleb did notice, and pouted for a moment, when he discovered I had placed the Dec. 12 holly on the advent calendar.
We had an Advent calendar very similar to yours when I grew up in Germany. Only it had Saint Nicolas at the top and in the pockets were little treats for my brother and me. My mother knew how to keep the peace and always placed two identical items in the pockets, like two red gummy bears, two peanuts in the shell, or two chocolate coins. Just last week I resolved to make an Advent calendar like that for next year for my two little boys. But I also like your idea with the cute ornaments. Maybe after Christmas I could take a closer look at your calendar for inspiration?
Your mother is a wise woman, Julia. I would be happy to lend our Advent calendar to you after the holidays. I’m sure your two little boys will enjoy counting down to Christmas just as much as my kids. And, if you’re lucky, they won’t argue over it. Just follow your mom’s example and everything should be fine. Right?