ADVENT COUNTDOWN

Stars rise and set, that star shines on:

Songs fail, but still that music beats

Through all the ages come and gone,

In lane and field and city streets.

And we who catch the Christmas gleam,

Watching with children on the hill,

We know, we know it is no dream -

He stands among us still!

—Nancy Byrd Turner, "The Christmas Star "

———————————

[The word "Advent" comes from the Latin adventus, which means "coming." In the Christian church Advent is that period of expectant waiting leading up to the Nativity of Jesus. Some prefer to think of it as a "Countdown to Christmas." If you've ever had an Advent calendar, you know that each day prior to Christmas has it own window, usually hidden behind a little flap or door, behind which is a scene or verse from the Scriptures. I thought it would be fun to take that idea and post a daily photo with a bit of text below—a stanza or two from a Christmas poem or a few lines of prose from a favorite Christmas story. The photos aren't intended to be tied with the text. Some are just ones I meant to run with a post this past year, but for whatever reason, didn't. To set these posts apart from my regular—or irregular!—ones, I've given them a different typeface and look.]