"Psst! Hurry up! Namjoon will be back in a minute!", Hoseok whispers not so quietly, and Jimin answers in a booming voice: "Wait, I have to put on the candles!"

Namjoon is standing in the door frame with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "What are you doing in the studio? Get out!"

"Wait, we're not finished yet!" Taehyung steps forward to block Namjoon's vision while hiding a box of candles behind his back.

"Candles? Oh no! Don't tell me you've caused another blackout!"

"No, we made something for you," Seokjin explains.

As Jimin places the last candle, the boys step aside. "TADA!!!"

"It's a", Namjoon takes a closer look at the round thing on his desk, "bunch of undergrowth decorated with four candles? What's that supposed to be?"

"It's more than just a bunch of undergrowth", Jungkook laughs. "It's an advent wreath."

"On each of the four Sundays before Christmas, you light up another candle," Taehyung adds.

"But it's two Sundays until Christmas," Namjoon replies. He does not even need to look at the calendar hanging right next to him.

"We know," Jimin interjects, "but since we missed last Sunday, we thought we could make an exception and light two candles at once today."

"Wait a sec? Don't you think this concept is strange?" Yoongi says with a frown. "I mean, why has this wreath only four candles? Why not twenty-four?"

"The very first advent wreath actually had twenty-four candles," Taehyung showcases his knowledge. "But therefore, it had the size of a cartwheel."

"That's a lovely tradition, but if you light each candle at different times, they don't burn down evenly. And if you don't watch out, the first candle could burn down before the fourth Sunday. That makes no sense at all!"

"You can easily calculate how long each candle can burn each Sunday." Hoseok comforts Yoongi. "I just need the length of the wick, the density of the wax and the diameter of the candles."

Taehyung skims the text at the back of the box of candles. "It's not written on the packaging."

"Never mind. I'll estimate the variables."

While Hoseok closes his eyes and mouths a complex mathematical formula, Namjoon has now fully absorbed the strange beauty of the advent wreath his friends made for him.

"At least you found a type of fir tree with leaves instead of needles," he comments on the lettuce-like green, which has been tried to be shaped into a somewhat ring-like form.

"That's not fir. We haven't found one in time." Seokjin scratches the back of his head.

"We took evergreen plants from the park to make the wreath," Jimin continues. "With this we want to inspire you to write a song that will never lose its color, just like evergreen plants never lose theirs."

Namjoon looks at his friends with wide eyes. "That's surprisingly profound."

"And surprisingly poisonous!" Without noticing, Jungkook puts his hands to his forearms and starts scratching them. "Be careful not to touch the plant. I got a rash on both arms when I collected it."

"I got it!" Striking a victory pose, Hoseok suddenly butts in the conversation. "To make the candles last until the Sunday before Christmas, you must let each one burn for 77 hours every day!"

Yoongi looks at him with squinted eyes. "...What?"

"If I had the length of the wick and the density of the wax I would have gotten to the right solution," Hoseok mumbles and crosses his arms in defense.

"Do you know what I'll do?" Namjoon nods at the wreath, then he smiles at his friends. "I'll light the candles every time I work on the lyrics."

"That means the candles will burn down to the ground today," Seokjin jokes.

Taehyung could not hide a grin. "You mean he's not even going to light it."

"That's because you always distract me. Just like right now! Get out!"

Namjoon shushes the others out of the room. Finally alone, he lights up the first two candles on the wreath. Staring into the flames, he wishes for nothing more than a spark of inspiration.

Today's Advent Calendar Surprise:

*19 days until Christmas Eve*

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