My friend Cindy O. and I have been praying/drawing Advent calendars for several years. Below is a collage of some of our past calendars. We mark each day of the four weeks before Christmas with a prayer for a person or a meditation on a word. Words like” watch, wait, fear not, joy, darkness, light, hope…” remind us of the dark days before Jesus and the promise of a Savior.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2 NRSV)

Cindy created a blank 2011 Advent calendar. You can download the template for the calendar at her website Mostly Markers. Cindy’s and I draw our calendars in color, but for the “marker or color-phobic” using just a black pen is also an option.