Happy December 15th! Just checking in on everyone. I know there are only 10 days left until Christmas, and shipping deadlines are coming up fast on us all. Do whatever it is you have to do to get those boxes out (or in) in the next few days, and after you’re done with that move onto the next, more local, urgent tasks. My domestic Christmas cards are waiting until next weekend so I can focus on things that will require me to go to the post office or to stores.

And while you’re doing them, our host for today, Constance at Staircase Wit, has a way for you to calm your mind, with some memories from her time at Duke.

See you back here tomorrow.

Happy Monday! Happy December 14th! Should you be lucky enough to be reading this from South America, Happy Solar Eclipse!

This weekend, the weather was more like October than December, which allowed me to get out and take some photos from the neighborhoods near my apartment. One of the best things about living in a city is getting to peek (literally, but in a non-pervy way) into people’s lives. I can see who has tons of artwork on their walls and who has built-in bookshelves. Who leans classic in their decorating style and who is more whimsical. Who uses their yard or balcony. Who has put up holiday decorations, and how extensive they are.

Since I am your host again today, I thought I’d share with you how one house in particular has decorated for the holidays. First, a little scene-setting. Dupont Circle has, historically, been a gay-friendly neighborhood. In the two decades we’ve lived here, it’s gotten more upscale, which means that some of its … campier … aspects have gone away outside of Pride Month. But not all, as these pictures of one house will show. (more…)

Happy third Sunday of Advent! I will be honest: Gaudete Sunday is the only one of the four I routinely remember, because it’s, to my knowledge, the only one with a carol specifically associated with it. For a song that charted in the U.K., there are surprisingly few versions of it. But I found this fun version of four Greek teens singing it in a stairwell:

Now, off on the tour! Jo Kay of Beyond Strange New Words has today’s post, featuring another event from the Christian calendar.

See you back here bright and early tomorrow!

For those who have been keeping track, Rudi will be home from Salt Lake next Friday, marking 10 full weeks he’ll have been away. We’ll both have to quarantine once he gets home, so whatever shopping and shipping I need to do prior to Christmas needs to be done in the next week, because there’s no being around people after that. But even with all that, Corey and I are going to be so glad to have him home.

Today marks the halfway mark of the Virtual Advent Tour. I hope you’re enjoying it, whether you’re sharing a post of your own or just taking in all the excitement. I definitely have been. As one final piece of housekeeping, I have four unclaimed dates for the second half of the tour (14, 18, 21, and 22), if anyone was thinking they wanted to share one more post. If not, that’s a completely manageable number for Rudi and me to polish off. (Rudi’s already informed me he has one more draft ready to go.)

I really think you’re all going to enjoy the post behind today’s door. It comes from kathy b at Compassionknit and it has to do with Christmas picture books. I suspect you will have opinions.

See you back here tomorrow!

Hi there! I don’t want to cause anyone panic, but did you know that Christmas is in two weeks? Take a deep breath, pour yourself a cup of cocoa, and re-evaluate your to-do list this weekend. Mailing deadlines are coming up fast for getting gifts elsewhere, which means those of us making things should probably clear most of this weekend’s schedule and get ourselves in a good rhythm. And those of us who aren’t might want to get some wrapping or card writing checked off.

Lucky for us, Bridget at The Ravell’d Sleave has us covered. Behind door #11 on the Virtual Advent Tour, you’ll find a post with some of the lesser-recalled Christmas specials she and The Tim like to watch each year.

See you back here tomorrow!

Welcome back to the Virtual Advent Tour! I am today’s host, and in keeping with the mini theme we’ve been going on, I wanted to give you a few Christmas songs to listen to.

As I have written before, my dad and I have a long tradition of making annual Christmas mixes. Dad’s dates back to the tape era, and, while I made a couple custom Christmas tapes as gifts, mine is firmly anchored in the cd and digital realm. In fact, I shared my process for one of my very first Virtual Advent Tours, and I have shared songs off my mixes on occasion over the years.

This year, I’ve been auditioning music intermittently since mid-October and am still working on finalizing the track list. While I may share some of the new songs I’m considering later in the tour, today I thought I’d give you three songs that made it onto the 2019 cd.

“Every Little Light” by the Slambovian Circus of Dreams was the first song on last year’s mix, and inspired the cd’s title, Every Little Christmas Light. It feels even more appropriate this year than it did last year.

“The Christmas Song” celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, after it was written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. It was popularized by Nat King Cole, but I thought Ne-Yo did a really nice version last year.

Finally, I’ve got Andrew Bird’s take on the carol “Oh Holy Night.” Andrew is a professional whistler and violinist, and I think his version is particularly moving.

See you back here tomorrow.