A glimpse of our 2022 Advent Calendar
Counting Down to Christmas 2022 - A Pinch of Spice
Hi friends
As I write this today it feels like I’m writing a countdown to the counting down. I can’t quite believe it’s the 2nd November and by the end of the month Advent will be underway. It’s going to be a busy three weeks ahead for me getting our Pinch of Spice Kits filled and ready to send out for those who’ve selected the email+kit option. And I’m still putting some finishing touches on the daily emails.
Today I want to give you a glimpse at the typical contents of a daily email. Each day will follow the same pattern. We’ve picked up the idea of a pinch… the definition being an amount of an ingredient that can be held between fingers and thumb.
The ingredients in our daily emails are made up of a few little pinches each day; a pinch of spice, a pinch of the Christmas story, a pinch of reflection (and an idea for an action) and a pinch of prayer. Each email will also include a handful of spicy facts.
Read the email at the start of the day and carry the thoughts into the remainder of your day. If you have access to the daily spice you might like to smell the spice before reading any further than the heading in the daily email. Let your senses guide you. Maybe you’ll even be able to use a pinch of the spice during the day in a hot drink or sprinkled on some food.
To complement the daily emails we’ll also post a recipe or craft on our facebook page using the spice of the day. In my imagination I would have pre-all these recipes by now… but I always underestimate how long it takes me to put Counting Down to Christmas together, so these will be shared untested and I’ll stay focussed on getting the writing finished! I’ll welcome your comments on any recipes shared on facebook as we go along.
So here it is… the first glimpse of what a daily email will look like. If you’re a paid subscriber you’ll see this one again… ginger appears somewhere in the middle of our Counting Down to Christmas.
Ginger
A pinch of spice
Ginger is a zesty, warm, and robust spice with a refreshing kick. Gingerbread cookies, gingerbread houses and lebkuchen are iconic Christmas food fare. These Christmas treats are not simply delicious baked goods but are also works of art engaging the sense of sight as much as the senses of taste and smell. Ginger can be used fresh or as a spice in both sweet and savoury dishes at Christmas.
A pinch of the Christmas story
God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in Galilee with a message for a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to Joseph from the family of King David. The angel greeted Mary and said, “You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:26-28 (CEV)
A pinch of reflection
Everyone likes encouragement and praise. Being seen and acknowledged provides us with a sense of meaning. It warms us and helps us navigate our daily lives with purpose. When the angel tells Mary she is blessed and that the Lord is with her, we feel God’s warmth and security offered to her in a few simple words. These words also propel Mary into a lifelong journey of purpose. Can there be any greater encouragement than receiving God’s blessing? In our own journey of faith, we also receive the warmth of God’s blessing. This blessing doesn’t stop with us. Like the angels, we become part of a community in sharing this blessing with others. Hear and share these words today, “You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you.”
A pinch of prayer
Take a pinch of ginger.
Look at it. Feel it.
Bring it closer to your nose.
Smell your pinch of ginger.
Close your eyes.
Let an image or a word come to mind.
Focus on the image or word.
Turn your focus into a prayer.
A handful of spicy facts
· Ginger comes from the plant Zingiber officinale. The plant is likely to be native to Southeast Asia, but the actual country of origin is unknown.
· Ginger plants take about 8 months to grow to full height of between 30cm to 5m.
· The part of the plant we know as ginger is the root or rhizome. Ground ginger is made by drying the fresh ginger roots and then grinding them into powder.
· Early gingerbread recipes were made from breadcrumbs rather than flour.
· Gingerbread houses started to be baked in Germany after the publication of the Grimm Brother’s story Hansel and Gretel in 1812. Today they are a feature of German Christmas markets and competitions around the globe for people of all ages.
Well there it is... that’s the kind of content you can expect to see in the daily emails. There’s 31 emails starting on the day before Advent and ending on the 26th December 2022.
Here’s some other things about subscribing
Paid or free?
I’ll be sending a couple more free emails before the 26 November and then our daily emails will start and these are only available for those with a paid subscription. If you participated in 2021, your paid subscription will run out before the 26 November. If you’re not sure whether you’ve yet paid for 2022 you should have received an email from us today confirming your subscription. If you didn’t receive the confirmation email, and you’re wanting to participate in our the daily emails for paid subscribers, make sure you sign up before the 26 November. You can subscribe via Substack or through our website or send me an email and I’m happy to help.
Pinch of Spice Kits
If you live in New Zealand and want to purchase an accompanying Pinch of Spice Kit we still have some available. The plan is to get these out for delivery during the week beginning 14 November, so place your order soon so you don’t miss out. If you live in other countries or want to source your own spices once you subscribe we’ll send you a list of spices to find and gather.