Since it seems impossible to find a nice old style advent calendar any more,it has been few years that I make it myself for the girls.I like old style advent calendars.The ones with some nice vintage image of Santa Klaus or a colourful Christmas tree.I don’t like those modern calendars with the cartoon characters.I don’t want my daughters counting the day up to Christmas Eve(no matter if from a religious or a pagan point of view) through minions wearing jumpers with reindeers printed on them.In the same way I don’t want my daughters to get their daily chocolate from the helmet of Dart Vader or from the bag pack of a Ninja Turtle dressed up like a reptile version of Santa.Spider man dispensing candies from his webs doesn’t encounter my taste either.Nor do Elsa and Anna.They are sweet girls but not good enough for my advent calendar.

When I say that I make it myself I don’t mean that I designe it and sew it with my own hands. I only fill it in myself.I bought a big reusable woolen advent calendar with a pocket for each day to be filled.This year I decided to break the pattern of candies and chocolates with a little present every week.By “little”,I really mean “little”.Little non edible bits and bobs:a Santa shape rubber,a miniature bounce ball,a stripe of tattoos and,the most special,a christmas tree to be decorated,colored and add to the fairy doors.This will probably be the surprise of the first week.I can only assume that fairies share our same rules about christmas decorations.They must be up with the first of December or,at very latest,the first week end of December.

Today is the thirtieth of november. The calendar must be ready and hanging outside the girls’ bedrooms by tonight.Tomorrow morning they can check the first pocket.
I need to fill it in this morning.A and CG must not be around when doing it.
I am up since 530. I got up with the travelling husband who went to Milan.By the time he left it was six o’clock.I didn’t bother to go back to bed as I would have usually done. I do my yoga routine instead.
After dropping the girls in school and walking the dogs ,I come back home to do some houseworks and the rest that I planned for my morning.Everything not before having my mid morning coffee,of course.I am a such creature of habit that if I would ever have a stalker he/she would have a such easy life that would be the first stalker to stop stalking out of boredom.
It is too cold to drink my coffee outside this morning.I tried but then I decide to finish it inside.
I switch on the tv to have some company while drinking my black elixir of daily energy and pleasure.It is one of those morning I need some soundtrack.I am zapping when my eyes stop on”midnight laces”.
Now my soul is tormented:shell I just ignore whatever I have to do,sit down and watch it? Dilemma,dilemma.Temptation, temptation.At the end I decide to be responsible.I get my priorities straight:the floor needs to be hoovered and mopped and my hair needs to be washed.Most important, the advent calendar needs to be filled. I can’t afford to watch a movie in the middle of the morning.I have too many things to do.To be honest, I would also feel guilty and a kind of lazy cow.The problem is that the movie is echoing in my head and I am dying to watch it now.I check the tv guide and see it is starting in an hour in an other channel.Easy peasy:I will record it.

Tonight the travelling husband is not home and I can have the sofa and the television all for myself.He doesn’t like old movies.He wouldn’t even know who Doris Day or James Stewart are.Tonight is my chance to go back in time and enjoy some good old fashion cinema.
The girls are in bed earlier then usual reading their novels.An unexpected gift indeed.After kissing them goodnight I change into my pj and put the kettle on.I lit some candles and I curled up on the sofa.A tartan scottish blanket on my legs and a mug of hot apple spice tea in my hands

I am ready to let my heart palpitate for poor hunted and terrified Kit.I am ready to express all my gratitude to inspector Byrnes and all my dislike to greedy vicious Tony.I am ready to take a breath of relieve and hope seeing the misjudged Brian consoling sweet Kit:there might be some love and romance still to come.