FP UNWRAPPED
Why The Holidays Lull Us To Open Tiny Doors
By: Ama Kwarteng
An ode to our obsession with advent calendars.
“As you set out for Ithaka / hope your road is a long one, / full of adventure, full of discovery.” So begins “Ithaka,” a poem by the Greek poet C. P. Cavafy. While the poem is directed at the hero Odysseus on his return home, it offers lessons we can all learn from. The advice is simple — almost trite — but something we often forget or ignore. When immersed in the dull drone of chores, bills, and other responsibilities, it is easy to lose sight of the process, or the journey, which can be even more enjoyable than the destination itself. Cavafy uses Odysseus’s story to reflect on journeys and destinations, and it’s a metaphor that can be extended to all different facets of our life — yes, even Advent calendars.
Advent calendars, which typically start on December 1 and end either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, can be traced back to 19th-century Germany, where people devised inventive ways to countdown the days until Christmas. German publisher Gerhard Lang is credited as the inventor of the modern-day Advent calendar which was inspired by his childhood. Growing up, his mother sewed 24 cookies onto the lid of a box, allowing him to eat one each day of Advent.
I’ll be honest — when I was younger, I didn’t see the point of an Advent calendar. I was that kid with zero patience; I would open all the little doors on the first day, eager to speed up the process and reach the end. But as I grew older, I realized this urge to fast-forward through the journey of an Advent calendar was mirroring itself in other areas of my life. I was always rushing through things, in a hurry to achieve a goal, until I realized how much one loses by trying to speed through life. Being patient means you are more perceptive to not only the external world but to the nuances around you. You find delight in the expanded moment, the necessity of the unnecessary.
I’ll be honest — when I was younger, I didn’t see the point of an Advent calendar. I was that kid with zero patience; I would open all the little doors on the first day, eager to speed up the process and reach the end. But as I grew older, I realized this urge to fast-forward through the journey of an Advent calendar was mirroring itself in other areas of my life. I was always rushing through things, in a hurry to achieve a goal, until I realized how much one loses by trying to speed through life. Being patient means you are more perceptive to not only the external world but to the nuances around you. You find delight in the expanded moment, the necessity of the unnecessary.
There’s joy in taking the time to spritz on a fragrance, in lingering at a restaurant table after a meal, sharing conversation. You’re able to notice the texture of the particularities rendered in the world around you. And sometimes, it can even expand our sense of what is possible.
“May there be many summer mornings when, / with what pleasure, what joy, / you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time; / may you stop at Phoenician trading stations to buy fine things, / mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony, / sensual perfume of every kind — / as many sensual perfumes as you can.”
The word “advent” comes from the Latin term for “arrival” — adventus. However, an Advent calendar is more than just a means to an end; like Cavafy’s poem, it highlights the importance of appreciating the journey.
Navigating an Advent calendar also reflects what often occupies our thoughts at the end of the year. What doors do we want to open in the new year? Which doors should we close? No outcome is set in stone, and that uncertainty can be daunting. Life might take us down an unexpected path. We might face failure. Everything might change. Yet, it’s worth taking a peek behind the doors we encounter. Perhaps we’ll discover something we enjoy enough to stay awhile.
The word “advent” comes from the Latin term for “arrival” — adventus. However, an Advent calendar is more than just a means to an end; like Cavafy’s poem, it highlights the importance of appreciating the journey.
Navigating an Advent calendar also reflects what often occupies our thoughts at the end of the year. What doors do we want to open in the new year? Which doors should we close? No outcome is set in stone, and that uncertainty can be daunting. Life might take us down an unexpected path. We might face failure. Everything might change. Yet, it’s worth taking a peek behind the doors we encounter. Perhaps we’ll discover something we enjoy enough to stay awhile.
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