Our own Advent decor

Running the blog Advent calendar has been fun. We've had a slightly bumpy road around here lately and it's been nice to just spend some time being creative and thinking in silence. Maybe it sounds strange, but sitting down and working on a creative project frees my mind up to wander elsewhere. Anybody else identify?

One of the things I was working on was an Advent calendar for my husband. I definitely drew from ideas found on my Advent calendar round-up post. I decided to go fishing in our recycling pile, visit my Christmas decor bag from last year, and drop a couple of Euro on some gingham fabric. Not every container has a lid, so there was some strategic stacking going on! I used these Advent number tags from dSharp and changed them to green in Photoshop.

My husband was so pleased, but then he felt bad that I didn't have something of my own to open. He's a bit of a work-a-holic (and frequently tells me he's so uncreative), so you can imagine my shock and pleasure when he surprised me with my own Advent calendar! He spent an entire afternoon driving around town (no small feat here b/c parking spots are rare finds!) making purchases, and then holed himself up in his office to type out notes and Bible verses for every day. How cute is he?!? Every day has brought me a verse and a special blend of tea, along with some sort of treat. We are big tea drinkers here, and since each tea packet brews enough for two big mugs, we've made it a priority to try the new tea together each day. Yes, major points!

We also have our Adventskranz (Advent wreath). I make one every year per German tradition; this year I went simple on the adornment using only a few Pilze (mushrooms) and straw ornaments. I love getting to light a new candle every Sunday of Advent! We also light our candles when we share our tea together at the end of the day. It's a nice way to keep our focus straight during all the crazy Christmas stuff.

Oh, and our Herrnhuter Stern (Moravian star)! Can't forget that! These are very common to spot in German homes during Christmas. Now that our daylight is so short, it's nice to have this lovely Christmas decoration up in the living room window!

Do you decorate for Advent? Any favorites from Advents-past?