What do the doors of Advent calendars conceal? Chocolates, sometimes, or toys. Sometimes there are illustrations of chocolates and toys. And holly. And snow. Things that make Christmas Christmas in Canada.

Embark on a new Yuletide tradition with this Advent calendar in words and images, wonderfully illustrated by Seth, and with sharp prose by Derek McCormack that captures the Canadian Christmas.

Derek McCormack, author of the critically acclaimed Haunted Hillbilly, is the author of two short story collections set in his hometown of Peterborough, Ontario: Dark Rides and Wish Book: A Catalogue of Stories. He is co-author of Wild Mouse, which was nominated for the 1999 Toronto Book Award. His short stories have appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, and anthologies in Canada and the U.S.A. His non-fiction has appeared in the National Post, Saturday Night, Elm Street, and Blood & Aphorisms. In 2001, he received an Honourable Mention at the National Magazine Awards for "Boo! A Halloween ABC," which appeared in Saturday Night. Stargaze, a short movie based on his story of the same name, has appeared at numerous Canadian and international film festivals. Derek McCormack lives in Toronto.

Derek McCormack's profile page

Seth is the cartoonist behind the comic-book series Palookaville, which started in the stone age as a pamphlet and is now a semi-annual hardcover. His comics have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Best American Comics, and McSweeney’s Quarterly. His illustrations have appeared in numerous publications including the cover of the New Yorker, The Walrus, and Canadian Notes & Queries. He is the subject of a recent documentary from the National Film Board of Canada, Seth’s Dominion. Seth lives in Guelph, Ontario, with his wife Tania and their two cats in an old house he has named “Inkwell’s End.”

Seth's profile page