Piecing Our Way to Christmas

This year, our Advent calendar does not hang on the wall.
It lives on the table.

We have a jigsaw Advent — technically a twelve‑day countdown, perhaps echoing the twelve days of Christmas — though the theme itself is delightfully unconcerned with tradition. Reindeer. Cats. A touch of whimsy. Exactly our speed.

Each day, we gather and do a new jigsaw puzzle.

The first reveal was a reindeer with Santa — simple, charming, quietly lovely. There is something grounding about doing it together, hands reaching for pieces, small conversations unfolding while the picture slowly takes shape.

It feels like a different way of waiting.

Less about opening. More about noticing.

Alongside it sits a chocolate Advent — one small sweetie a day — because some traditions are worth keeping exactly as they are.

And then there are Juniper and Fern’s personalised Advents.

Every other day holds something a bit silly. The in‑between days bring a Lindt chocolate. Laughter and anticipation woven together, surprise softened by rhythm.

None of it is grand.
But all of it is shared.

And that, perhaps, is the point.

As Christmas draws closer, the picture fills in. The treats disappear one by one. The days quietly shorten. There is a growing sense that something is arriving — not rushed, not forced, but steadily approaching.

Advent, after all, is not just about counting down.
It is about gathering.
About letting joy accumulate gently. About creating small, repeatable moments where togetherness has room to breathe.

This year, we are piecing our way to Christmas.

Slowly. Joyfully. One shared moment at a time.