Rose looked up. “Is this right?” she asked. Her hands were covered with cuts from the holly prickles but she wasn’t going to complain. She had never made one of these before and was having fun.

Smith looked at her. “Yes it is.” He pulled the five candles out of his bag. It had taken some searching to find them at all, never mind in the correct colours.

“Ohhh pretty,” she whispered. She reached out a hand and touched them gently.

Markus leaned in the doorway watching them.

“Each one means something different,” Smith said. “The first violet one stands for hope, the second violet one for peace, then the rose one for joy, the last violet one for love and the white one is the arrival of the light of the world.”

“Can we light them now?” she asked.

Markus moved into the room. “Not yet, one a week for the four weeks of advent,” he told her. “But you can carry it out into the main room for me.”

Rose beamed and picked up the advent crown carrying it carefully out of the room.

Markus looked at Smith. “Hope, peace, joy and love huh?” he asked.

Smith nodded. “God says this is a new beginning. The first Christmas we’ve had in years, the first one since we defeated Daniel. For the first time in sixteen years we have hope.”

“And the rest?”

Smith paused and then smiled. “The rest will follow.”