Dec 12, 2020
As a kid, we used to have an Advent calendar every year, counting the days until Christmas.
Usually made from heavy paper and lots of glitter, it was shaped like a Christmas tree with 25 little windows we d open one each day from Dec. 1 to Dec. 25.
I don t remember what was behind each window, maybe a picture or some words. I just remember the feeling of getting closer to the Big Day, the anticipation and excitement, the promise of something good.
Recently, I read about the 46 best Christmas Advent calendars of 2020.
Apparently, Advent calendars have changed since I was a kid. Now there s one for everyone s tastes and interests, from chocolate lovers to Lego fans.
In 2008, when the U.S. economy crashed and people were losing their homes and jobs right and left, local artist Doug Nicholson picked up a paint brush.
In one session he painted darkness and despair and hopelessness, his brush illustrating the collective feelings of the nation.
Nancy Kennedy
Grace Notes
âI painted it the week that everything collapsed, and this became a dark painting for me as opposed to the abstract paintings I normally do,â he said.
However, as a Christian, Doug believes in hope and light, hope as an anchor to hold onto during times of turmoil and uncertainty, and Jesus as the light of the world.