Virtual Advent: December 4, 5, & 6

Somehow I mistakenly believed that on my trip I would be able to find a moment or two to post these advent entries. Yeah -- didn't quite work out as I planned! But, at least I can post them now and get caught up. Don't miss these posts!


DEC 3rd
Children + Poetry = Warm Holiday:
"As many of you know, I teach second grade. Each month of the school year, my students memorize a poem and recite it to the class (or to me alone, if they’re too shy). Poetry is a very important part of my life, (my grandmother was a poet), so sharing poems and listening to 7 and 8 year olds reciting them is a joyful part of my job. My students are busy practicing our December poem, and working on art projects that celebrate light during this cold and dark month."

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DEC 5th
Holiday picks for the kiddies:
"Whatever you end up reading this holiday season, I hope you have fun and create some great memories. This is a great time of year for reading aloud to little ones. So whether you're a parent, a grandparent, aunt or uncle, make some time to cozy up with the little ones in your life!"

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DEC 6th
More delicious holiday reads:
"I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is to read holiday themed books. Here’s the thing about Christmas books…I think they get a bad rap. They’re sort of stereotyped as automatically cheesy, but that’s not always the case. I think there’s something out there for everyone! And so without further ado, here’s a list of Christmas books for everyone!"

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Christmas in Poland:
"Today in Poland, children wake up to presents from St. Nicholas (Święty Mikołaj). I am writing about this particular country because I am a native of it and have only been living in the U.S for 8 years. I figured I would talk about two aspects of Advent and Christmas that are near & dear to me: tradition and religion."

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See more Virtual Advent posts, click here.

To learn more about the Adent Blog Tour, click here.

Virtual Advent: December 2 & 3

So, I accidentally missed a day because I'm on vacation and didn't get the opportunity to get near a computer. So... here are two days of advent in one post! There were some great entries the last two days. Here are some highlights. To check out more, see the links at the bottom of this post.


DEC 2nd
Two entries about the power of music:
"Hey, I love getting presents but there is so much to be enjoyed during the season. Family. Love. Movies. FOOD. And music. Because really, that’s when it all starts right? So, to celebrate the season, with one of my favorite parts of it, here are a few carols to get us started right."

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"So when I younger I was never a big fan of going to church. In fact, it’s safe to say I hated church- absolutely nothing I can think of that I disliked more except for maybe Lima beans. *Waits to be struck by lightning*"

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DEC 3rd
Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales:
"I worry that by describing A Child's Christmas in Wales as a collection of memories I'm not making it sound terribly interesting to those of you who haven't read it, but the truth is, it is. And the reason why it is so interesting it's because it captures the feeling of Christmas very well, even for those of us whose memories are nothing like the narrator's. There overall tone of the story is warm, but there's also something very nostalgic and bittersweet about it. The language is what gives this story a great part of its charm. It has a very unique rhythm, and I can see this little book becoming One of Those I read aloud to my cats."

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Catching the Christmas spirit with someone to love:
"I haven’t always had great Christmases. Most of the ones I had when I was a kid were good. They weren’t extravagant but they were mostly happy simple times that involved not a lot of gifts but a lot of love, family and yes, a lot of pie. Then I grew up and went on to university in a city that wasn’t very close to home. I went home the first few years but then money started to dry up and the cost of going home for Christmas was half a month’s rent that I didn’t have to spare."

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See more Virtual Advent posts, click here.

To learn more about the Adent Blog Tour, click here.

Virtual Advent: December 1

I thought this was about the coolest idea ever. Kailana from The Written World and Marg from Reading Adventures want to know why kids should be the only ones to enjoy Christmas treats on an advent calendar. So, they have invented a virtual blogger's advent! Every day until Christmas two to three bloggers will post something about family traditions, recipes, their country's holiday traditions, or a favorite Christmas memory, movie, book, song--or anything else that strikes their fancy! Fun, right?

So, every day until Christmas I'll be bringing you my favorite parts of these advent posts. I'm excited to see what everyone comes up with! And I'll be posting my own on December 14, so watch for that!

Here are today's gems! +/-

A memory of a grandfather, and his special treats:

"My grandfather lived in Holland for as long as I can remember, and when he came to visit us in the States he would always bring us Dutch chocolate. There would be Droste pastilles, bittersweet and milk sharing sides of the same tablet, or chocolate oranges, which were our favorite.

My brother and I would smack the orange and eat as many pieces as we could before my mother put them away in the fridge, allowing us one or two slices a day. At least that way they lasted longer. Those chocolate oranges weren’t available in Illinois in the 1960’s. They were a token of affection meant just for us from our grandfather, and they were extra special because of their rarity."

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A handmade gift is one straight from the heart:

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For more, check out the Advent Blog Tour Website.