Advent Activities: Twofer

On Sunday, we got two Advent activities for the price of one because we actually did one of the activities on our list before we even checked, "watch a holiday special like The Nutcracker, Emmett Otter, etc." We watched The Nutcracker on tv, Pacific Northwest's original dream-oriented interpretation. Mama had actually never seen the ballet, even though she grew up in the city of Balanchine's famous version. I'd seen it once, at the enormous Jones Hall in Houston, with Miss B, son C, and other friends. I think I still have the mini Nutcracker ornament to remember the magical day. This tv Nutcracker wasn't too magical, with settings and story so abstract that it needed voice-overs to explain it, not your typical beginner's ballet. And so the kids were turned off and instead begged to watch the Rockettes' version, with giant bear characters and dancing pandas. I liked it better too.

Then, our official Advent activity was "make treats for animal friends." I had a box mix and fish cookie cutter to make treats for our cats but we got too busy. Luckily, the church kids' sale had bird seed ornaments for sale. We bought one for each of us to hang in the yard. Though, truth be told, these were more for the squirrels, who were chomping on them in minutes.

And if the old wives' tale about fat squirrels presaging a hard winter, it's going to be very cold and snowy this year.