There is something in the air around this time of the year that brings out the child in me – and I’m not even religious. I love Japan, but when Christmas approaches, a certain nostalgia sets in, and I miss things that I took for granted back home in Austria. The two things I miss most are: snow (I should’ve moved to Hokkaido) and baking cookies. And possibly central heating too (I should’ve moved to Hokkaido).
At least I have an advent calendar, the refillable one I bought two years ago is still going strong. However, there was a small problem with it: the little drawers on the sides didn’t close properly. This may sound petty, but I’m just OCD enough to find this annoying, so I fixed it by glueing little pieces of wood on which the drawers can rest onto the back of the calendar.
It didn’t take long, and now I’m ready to get the drawers filled again. And, as I’ve done before, while there will be chocolate and tiny sweets, some of the drawers will hold things to do like “have a bath” or “go for a walk” etc. It’s nice to create your own traditions for holidays.