This year we decided to put up a small advent calendar in our kitchen made of small pieces of paper and clothes pins. Each day has a small corresponding activity, like hanging stockings, making clementine candles, or taking food to a pantry. Even though we’ve kept the activities relatively light, my favorite part is that this calendar has put time into perspective, and has built anticipation for the celebration of Christmas, Immanuel. I think God meets us in the daily aspects of life, and this calendar has taken me by surprise in that it places focus on both the daily tasks at hand and on the waiting.