I wanted an Advent calendar, I mean a "real" one (with the little paper doors you open that reveal a different image each day) but I didn't get one, and at this point it might be a little late unless I find one locally.
But I found this one. Specifically religious theme (it is put out by Loyola Press, a Catholic publishing house) but it looks like they have artwork for each day. Today's artwork was William Holman Hunt's "The Light of the World," which I am SURE exists many places in reproduced form (I am pretty sure my parents' church has a print of it hanging up, I think that's where I saw it first.)
The commentary on it touched me. Particularly the phrase: "His way to the door is lit by a lantern, casting a soft light on the
door to show that it is overgrown with plants; it has not been opened in
a while. The plants also show that it is not only a late hour, but late
in the year—they are dry, past harvest, and ready to crumble away as
winter comes."
"Not been opened in a while." I think there are a lot of us who kind of bolt the doors of our hearts - we've been hurt. Or we've been alone for a while and we forget how to be open because we get so concerned with taking care of ourselves and dealing with how hard and sharp-edged the world can sometimes be. And I suspect these past two years a lot of people have been locking and bolting the doors of their hearts, considering how the world has been....
A secular, dogs-in-art-themed calendar (which has the traditional little doors, albeit in virtual form) is from The National Museum at Liverpool. You can click on the artwork to go to a link that gives more detail (and multiple views if it's a 3-D item).
The one at Why Christmas looks like it gives a daily history lesson (today's is about Christmas trees) along with some legendary information (e.g., "The Christmas Spider).
A more child-themed (and has loud autoplay music, and uses Flash) calendar is found at Santa Games.
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