I already know that the “notable person” we’re celebrating is Jesus. I’m so thankful for His special birth, and for all that it means to me–and to everyone.

If you’re like me, though, it’s easy to forget all the “notable” things in this season–in this life–that are constantly arriving for us.

Indeed, each day of the year–each day of our lives–brings the advent of a “notable person, thing, or event.”

So many gifts to celebrate. There’s no way to name them all.But for this month, during the season of Advent, I’m celebrating the advent of 25 gifts. 25 notable people, things, or events. 25 notable days. I’m starting today and ending on Christmas Day. And you know my favorite way to celebrate:

PIE.

Whew! I bet you were wondering if I’d ever get to the pie part. Here it comes.

Let the celebration begin. The First Pie of Advent is Old Fashioned Lemon Pie.

I found the recipe for this pie in this cool book I got for Christmas last year.It has some fun facts about pie history as well as some very old pie recipes. This Lemon Pie recipe was from 1848! It was really easy to make, especially since I cheated and used this crust:

Now, don’t judge me. That Pillsbury Dough Boy knows what he’s doin’ when it comes to crust, and you know I’ve always been about using what’s already around. Also, using store-bought crust brings up something important. Lots of people suffer during the holidays because they worry hard about what they SHOULD be doing.

I should make Grandma’s crust.

I should make homemade ornaments with my kids.

I should have already finished shopping.

I should get a real tree, but I don’t like watering and vacuuming.

And the list goes on. ENOUGH. Forget about what you (or others) think you SHOULD do, and just do what you can.

Do what matters to you. Do what brings you joy.

And speaking of joy…while my pie was baking, I enjoyed some of the most delicious navel oranges ever. We bought them from a kid we know who was selling them for the high school band. Those oranges were so fantastic–the juice ran down my chin! I also got to bask in some terrific memories. When I was little, we used to get oranges down in the toes of our Christmas stockings. The smell and taste of them will always remind me of Christmas morning. Not to mention, I sold my share of band fruit back in the day–along with my brothers and sisters.

So anyway, back to the Lemon Pie. It only had a few ingredients: Water, sugar, cornstarch, an egg, lemon zest, lemon juice. So simple. I whisked it all together at a simmer on the stove top and poured it into the pie crust. It was ready in 20 minutes. It had to cool on the rack and then chill in the fridge for a few hours. Here’s a slice.

It’s kind of a thin pie, but is SO tasty and tangy and lemony. It was the kind of tangy that makes you suck in your cheeks, press your lips together, and squint your eyes a bit. Yummy. I was also thrilled with the gorgeous yellow color.

Today’s reason to celebrate? Our son walked in the town Christmas parade today with the Running Club from his school. Definitely a notable event! So thankful for the opportunities our kids have. So thankful for a town that gets together to celebrate. Here’s a shot from the parade. Our son is blurry (in the blue pants), because he was busy throwing candy. He had lots of fun, and so did we!

If you’re a reader of this blog, I invite you to celebrate advent–the arrival of notable people, things, or events–this Christmas season. What blessing arrived for you today?