The most anticipated time of the year has begun!

In celebration Marianna and I broke out our fine china, which just happens to be a cast iron teapot - LOL! - perfect for this sailing vessel in a way that delicate Wedgewood or Spode would never be.



After blessing the Advent Wreath we lit the first candle and sat down to a lovely plate of cookies, the highlight of which were the Pocky Sticks. Hal came aboard and helped devour the box, having not had any since his last stint in Korea.



Each year we make our own Advent Wreath, last year we made a tiny little wreath out of 4 Scallop Shells set on a mirror. Mary M. traced the awesome symbolism of that wreath for us in the comments box and it has now become one of our favorite things that I'm always meaning to pull out on certain feast days like the Baptism of Our Lord or Saint Brigid (who has shells on her cloak) or even when we talk about Pope Benedict XVI. Have you noticed his Papal Coat of Arms? A nice big Scallop Shell is featured front and center.

But this year the vote was cast for a nice "traditional" wreath which we managed to pull together from a Martha Stewart candle ring, Pier 1 votives, black electric tape and no lavender or rose candles!!! We'll make do with the same votives we used last year, but I can tell you one crewmember is keeping her sharp eyes peeled for the appropriate colors!

Speaking of appropriate colors ... I'll leave you with one last girly photo for this joyous season!



Happy Advent!