When I was a kid you didn’t get chocolate in advent calendars. You just opened the little cardboard doors and had a little picture. That was it. If it was a particularly good advent calendar, we closed the doors and saved it for the following year! 

These days it’s a whole different ball game. Those well known Christmas characters of Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol have their own sugar loaded cheap chocolate offering. You can also get cheese calendars, gin calendars, beauty products calendars and even a dog biscuit one!

But what are these calendars all about? Of course they are a countdown to Christmas. A reason to get excited early (as if my kids need any excuse - and over sugared treats are not the ideal pre breakfast snack!) 

Traditionally they mark the weeks of advent. “Advent” means “coming” in Latin, so Christians mark the four Sundays and weeks before Christmas to prepare for the coming of Jesus. 

Since the 17th century they have used the advent candle ring to mark the passing of these weeks. They would create a circle of evergreen foliage with four candles - each week lighting a candle to celebrate that week. 

And the candles would stand for:

Hope Joy Peace Love. 

Hope, joy, peace and love. Are they not the four words that we repeat like a mantra day after day in this ever so troubled year? Our mindful affirmation as we head towards Christmas. None of us really know what Christmas will look like this year but whatever happens what we really want is hope, joy, peace and love. 

Samuel Smiles, an author, whose quote started this blog off, believed that more progress would come from new attitudes than from new laws - and that was nearly 200 years ago. But how apt are those very sentiments in these modern times?

So treat yourself to an all fresh, all natural advent candle ring from Church Park Flowers so you can be ready for the first Sunday of advent on the 29 November and light that candle for hope. 

Hope that this Christmas will be filled with joy, peace and love - after all surely this year we deserve it more than ever.