How I re-created my Oklahoma grandmother’s handmade Advent calendarand why it means more than ever.
To this day, it is one of our most beloved and storied heirlooms.
It was created in 1971 by my grandmother Sally Akin, better known as Big Mama.
Credit:Robbie Caponetto
Compared to some of the more intricate projects from later in her life, its a bit simple.
The fragile baubles were embellished with tiny beads and sequins and stuffed with dryer lintBig Mama was notoriously frugal.
Starting on the first of December, a lucky person affixed one ornament per day to the tree.
Credit:Robbie Caponetto
But most of all, she was a prolific sewer.
And she did it again in the mid-2000s, when my younger cousins entered the picture.
We all have spent the 4,500-some days since she died missing her.
Credit:Katie Akin
But Sally Akin wouldnt have wanted us to waste time being sad and sitting on our hands.
She would have given us some felt she had lying around and said, Its not that hard!
