Dear Starlight,
This week, I’m excited to share a creative exercise with you—a personalized advent calendar. Not just any advent calendar; it’s designed by you, for you, as a month-long “Gift of Your Attention.”
Many years ago, during my year-long Hero’s Path Creativity + Courage cohort, I developed this tool as a playful experiment to explore personal goals and curiosities. The idea emerged from a common challenge: the immensity of new projects or long-term goals can overwhelm our thoughts and nervous systems. When we can’t imagine the end, it can feel impossible to begin—or to keep going.
Personally, I’ve noticed this feeling creeping in over the last few months. Certain projects keep reappearing on my To-Do list, yet I avoid them because they seem too daunting or too blurry or too inconsequential or too _______ (fill in the blank). Then yesterday, I remembered this advent exercise—a creative and structured way to take small steps toward big goals. It’s exactly what I need for December, and it’s also the perfect precursor to January’s intention setting.
When we first practiced this exercise in Creativity + Courage, it was spring, and it had no connection to traditional advent calendars. But now, with December upon us, it feels beautifully timed to reimagine this as an advent wreath!
Did you know that wreaths were originally worn as crowns, with various herbs and plants symbolizing different qualities? As a crown, a wreath represents victory, wholeness, and completeness—a perfect metaphor for what this holiday exercise offers: a daily practice of bringing your attention to what matters most.
The advent calendar itself has a fascinating history, beginning as a teaching tool used by German Lutherans and adapting and be adopted in other cross-cultural traditions. For this exercise, I’ve drawn on the Christian advent wreath with its four Sunday candles representing Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. These universal themes make a beautiful foundation for weekly meditations, regardless of any spiritual background.
As a child, I adored advent calendars for their sense of mystery—those tiny windows hiding delightful surprises. My mother always filled our home with advent calendars; with their little birds and the funny boot or mitten peeking out a window. That same sense of discovery can guide this exercise, as the calendar helps direct your daily commitment to your intentions in a playful and meaningful way.
To begin, think of four intentions or projects that you’d like to focus on this month (you can see mine in my sample below). Ideally, these should be things you can work on in small, manageable increments, such as an hour a day.
Let’s make December a time of joyful progress and meaningful reflection; perfect gift to oneself and others!
PS. Can you tell that I like to play life?
A Month-long Gift of Your Attention: Creating a Personal Advent Calendar
This December, give yourself the gift of daily intention and creative focus with a personalized advent calendar. Inspired by traditional advent calendars, this exercise transforms the practice into a playful tool for exploring personal goals and curiosities. Over the month, you'll use daily prompts to engage with themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, while working toward your personal aspirations in small, manageable steps.
The Purpose
This creative exercise is designed to help you:
Overcome the overwhelm of beginning something new or working on large projects by breaking them into daily actions.
Cultivate focus and discipline while maintaining a sense of playfulness.
Reflect deeply on your intentions and build momentum toward your goals.
Materials Needed
A printer
Cardstock paper (ideal for durability)
An exacto knife
Black pen
Colored pencils
Glue stick
A small journal for reflections
Step 1: Create Your Advent Calendar
Print the Template
Print two copies of the wreath calendar template on white cardstock (8.5 x 11").
One copy will serve as the front with numbered flames; the second copy will act as the colored background.
Print this template on 8.5 x 11” card stock Cut the Flames
Using the exacto knife, carefully cut around each flame, leaving the base uncut so the flames can fold open.
Add Colors to the Background
On the second copy of the wreath, assign a unique color to the four large flames.
Use these colors to represent your four goals or intentions for the month. For example:
Red: Physical health
Blue: Creative writing
Green: Community engagement
Yellow: Selling your house
Randomly color the remaining flames using these four colors. Start by coloring seven of each color and then choose at random the colors for the remaining few flames.
A NOTE ON COLOR: I chose to use the four elements colors (red, yellow, green and blue) as I am planning to include the four elements and their associations as part of my goal work for the month. Feel free to layer symbols in your own wreath.
Assemble the Calendar
Apply glue to the outer edges of the wreath on the front of the colored copy. Avoid putting glue on the flames.
Carefully align and press the two sheets together, ensuring the colored background will show through the cut flames.
Personalize Your Calendar
Assign a goal or intention to each of the four large flames on the outside of the wreath.
Decorate or color the outside calendar and title it with the month and year.
Step 2: How to Use Your Advent Calendar
Set Your Intentions
On Day 1 (December 1), open the four large flames to reveal their colors. Each color represents one of your goals or intentions.
Daily Practice
Each day, open the corresponding flame to reveal its color.
Reflect on the weekly theme (Hope, Peace, Joy, or Love) and use the color to guide your focus for the day.
For example, if the color for Day 2 is blue and your intention for blue is "Creative Writing," dedicate time to this goal while considering the weekly prompt.
Reflect in Your Journal
Journal about your progress and reflections, using the prompts and affirmations to deepen your understanding of each weekly theme.
Weekly Themes and Prompts
On Sundays, shift to a new weekly theme with its corresponding affirmation and prompts:Week 1: Hope
Affirmation: "Hope is the good worth working for."
Prompts: What is your hope for yourself, others, and the earth? How do you relate to hope as an active word? How can you embody hope this week?
Week 2: Peace
Affirmation: "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." –Lao Tzu
Prompts: How do you stay ready without feeling hurried? How does acceptance create peace? What helps you forgive and feel peaceful?
Week 3: Joy
Affirmation: "Joy is not without sorrow."
Prompts: How do you resource joy? Where do you find it? How can joy coexist with sorrow in your life?
Week 4: Love
Affirmation: "Let the beauty you love be what you do." –Rumi
Prompts: How is love an action? What beauty do you love in yourself, others, and the world?
Notes on Adaptation
Feel free to modify this exercise to suit your needs or share it with others.
If you do share, please credit me as the creator of this exercise.
This exercise combines creativity, reflection, and playfulness to help you connect with your intentions and bring meaningful change into your daily life.
Gonna make some crowns with intentions mentioned in the advent calendar and create alters between now and 2025