The Advent Calendar of my Dreams

I discovered that the Advent calendars I only dreamed of as a child are now available in abundance. After scanning a number of different options to invite on this year’s Advent journey, I ordered a calendar filled with fruit spreads and honey. With flavors like Cherry with Hibiscus Flower, Peach with Jasmine and Raspberry with Rose why not re-engage that childlike wonder and pursue an age-old wish come true?

A New Year’s Journey

Happy New Year!

Does that greeting sound premature in early December? Not at all. In fact, as usual, I am running behind. The Church’s liturgical year, actually began in November. This year the first Sunday of Advent followed swiftly on the heels of Thanksgiving. With the Thanksgiving tableware not yet tucked away on its shelf, the season of Advent is already beckoning us to make room for the Christ child.

Somewhere inside my chest, I feel it. There is a seed there, settling in. I feel that tiny twinge, a still small something taking shape, making way. It feels cool like a December morning. It urges me to put things in order, to keep watch.

As I put away the autumn that something claims the space. It feels like a sheer, spare, sparkle, like frost on the newly bare limbs of our maple trees. Slowly it nudges the corners of my mouth into a cautious grin. “It is coming,” I think to myself. “It will be here soon.”

Why An Advent Calendar?

As the Advent journey begins we find a way to mark our progress through the season. When I was a child I loved the daily ritual of keeping an Advent calendar.  Back then my Advent calendar was a notebook-sized sheet of cardboard that was propped up on top of my dresser. The front was adorned with a colorful wintery scene and a series of twenty-four numbered tabs, one for each December day until Christmas. 

Each day, I eagerly awaited my mother’s okay to open another small window on that Advent calendar. My attention was rapt as we carefully bent back the perforated flap to see what it would reveal. I can still picture the tiny colored drawings of an animal, a star or maybe an angel inside. The pictures were simple and old-fashioned but I treasured them like a secret that had been saved just for me. Finding a tangible gift inside the window was all in my imagination in those days. It was a wish, something to dream of.

Choosing an Advent Calendar

Decades later, so much has changed. While I have sat out of the “What’s Behind the Window?” style of Advent calendar for many years now it seems some have affirmed the marketable genius of it. Shopping online I discovered that the Advent calendars I only dreamed of as a child are now available in abundance. There are now Advent calendars with tangible content of every kind: toys, beauty products, coffee, candles, candies, cookies, wine, whiskey and more. It seemed like the perfect time to re-engage with that childlike wonder and pursue a wish come true.

All I had to do was choose.

Of course I chose one that was edible. In the end I settled on the Advent calendar that promised a journey in unique flavors. Though fruit spreads are a little outside my comfort zone it has been a delightful experience.   

A Practice of Sweetness

I bought the Bonne Maman Advent calendar. In fact, I bought several. I bought one for my husband. I added one for his dad, who has always enjoyed jelly. Then another one for my oldest son who regularly bakes sourdough bread. Then I bought one for my daughter and my younger son, too. And still another for a friend who has been baking biscuits. For myself? I seldom eat jams or jelly, but maybe that played a part in it too. 

Once the calendars arrived there was quite a lot of anticipation. My husband explained the calendar to my father-in-law when his arrived. We gifted several locally and made sure those that were shipped arrived without complication.

On December 1 we began this year’s journey. Daily we open a window or a door. These windows are small, a few inches square. Behind each one is a tiny jar. Remove the jar. Read the flavor. In the jar is a small taste of something sweet. Spread the sweetness on a slice of toasted sourdough or a biscuit. Savor. Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Each day we discover yet another small jar of a uniquely flavored fruit spread or, possibly, honey. Not too much. Just a little. Each day a pretty one ounce jar. It is enough to feed hope, perhaps spark delight, inspire a memory or broaden our understanding. Each reminds us of promised sweetness yet to come. 

A Flavorful Journey

Some of the flavors are exotic. We’ve tasted Lemon with Yuzu, Apricot and Lavender and Raspberry with Rose. Some are old fashioned: Cherry with Christmas Spice, Orange with Cinnamon, Strawberry and Rhubarb. Others are simple and plainly delicious. One window contains Seedless Raspberry, another holds Mandarin. Jars yet to come promise Cherry with Hibiscus Flower and Peach with Jasmine.

Not only are the ingredients in these fruit spreads intriguing, some are seasonally symbolic. Cherries are the subject of a number of Christmas songs and are associated with paradise. Orange is the focus of long held traditions of hospitality. Jasmine can represent love or purity. It means “gift from God.” And the Rose symbolizes God’s work in our lives.

Sharing the Experience

As we taste the fruit spreads we compare notes. Every few days we check in about flavors. Then about vehicles of delivery. I taste each fruit spread alone, on a small spoon. I like to think about the flavors. My father-in-law is a fan of English muffins. He toasts his three times before smearing it with butter and the daily flavor of fruit spread. My husband has tried every type of biscuit we can find. My son still bakes sourdough bread that pairs well with a variety of fruit flavors. 

In our comparison conversations some shade may get thrown at the yellow flavors. Last year they seemed particularly prevalent in the second week. While I’ll admit to favoring the darker spreads I’d say the yellows are still interesting enough to remain delightful, even if I wouldn’t hurry to buy a full jar.

When Christmas arrives every tiny jar may not be empty but I think we will be glad for the journey. 

A Word of Thanks

So thank you Bonne Maman. Thank you for innovative flavor combinations. For having a different flavor each and every day. Thanks for the pretty packaging that keeps everything secure and looks pretty on my countertop. Also for the tiny jars that are so cute cute cute, and the labels that slip off easily in water leaving a tiny vessel, a little reusable jar, for who knows what – but definitely something.

It’s just what we needed in this liminal season, to break up the monotony and spark joy. These tiny jars of fruit spread inspire me and help me to recognize wonder in the little things (like the perfect vehicle for jelly). They also remind me to be thankful for what we are blessed to discover each day as we anticipate the Christ child this Advent season.