First Sunday of Advent

It's hard to believe that tomorrow will be the First Sunday of Advent. I am trying to continue one the tradition of setting up four candles and lighting one each Sunday until Christmas. We've also started our Advent calendar, which is made out of felt with small felt illustrations for each Messianic promise.
Last Saturday my neighbors and I set out on a trek to hunt down the perfect snow-covered Christmas tree. After various wrong turns, a consultation with two locals, and a near encounter with a cranky eccentric, we found a small forest of trees that we could search through. Hiking through the snowdrifts, we dusted off several trees, then each cut down our favorite. Hightailing it back to the car, we turned on the heat to full blast to counteract our wet pant legs and socks. My tree, I'm sorry to say, was ignominiously dumped in the bathtub to dry out. It is now completely decorated, and installed in front of the fireplace, from which is casts lacey shadows over the room at night. It is topped by a small but dignified yulebok (Swedish for a Christmas ornament, made of straw, in the shape of a reindeer).
I highly recommend The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a classic that rates in the top ten for any Christmas book list.