Christmas countdown day 1: advent calendars

Beyond waiting: Advent’s acknowledgements and expectations.

Alianore Smith

Alianore is a theologian, communicator and author. She works for a global charity based in London.

Five candles sit in a row against a dark background, only one is lit.

Robert Thiemann on Unsplash.

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The Christmas Countdown

It’s the season to be jolly, stressed, and all round Christmassy. On the Seen & Unseen Aloud podcast , we’re here for you with our Aloud Christmas Countdown!

Every day in December, we’ll drop some of the best seasonal content from Seen & Unseen Aloud. From how to survive Christmas, reviews of the best Christmas movies and the origin story of Santa Claus.

For when you’ve got your hands full of mince pies and baubles, but you still want to hear some thoughtful content, subscribe to Seen & Unseen Aloud for the Christmas Countdown.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon.

Throughout the year, the Seen & Unseen Aloud brings you the week’s best articles, in a short 20 minute podcast episode. Browse the index for episodes from Seen & Unseen Aloud, Re-enchanting and GodPod.

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Seen & Unseen Aloud

31 March 2025

1 min read

Simnel cake, culture wars, Amandaland and singing along.

New episode: Katherine Amphlett, Graham Tomlin, Beatrice Scudeler, and Natalie Garrett write.

Natalie Garrett

Natalie produces and narrates The Seen & Unseen Aloud podcast. She's an Anglican minister and a trained actor.

A close up of a Simnel Cake shows 12 balls on top.

James Petts, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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In this week's particularly eclectic mix, Katherine Amphlett shares what she's learnt about forgiveness from a Simnel Cake; Graham Tomlin brings Blaise Pascal into play in today's culture wars; Beatrice Scudeler finds the reality of Amandaland, and Natalie Garrett lets loose with some Primary school assembly bangers.