Christmas Advent Calendars

Lindt Advent Calendar
http://www.lindt.co.uk/shop/ seasonal-chocolates/advent- calendars/lindt-advent- calendar

Every year at the start of December, each person in my family receives a Lindt chocolate advent calendar containing twenty-five compartments for the twenty-five days leading up to Christmas. Every morning after December 1st, we open a numbered door on the box, starting at number one, and get to eat the chocolate behind it; the variety of chocolate flavours contained are: milk, white, dark, peppermint, toffee or caramel; depending on the date relative to Christmas, the flavour and actual size of the chocolate varies; the contents of the calendar ranges from chocolate balls, squares, and bells, to chocolate snowmen, Santas and reindeers as it gets closer to Christmas. “We used to do advent calendars occasionally as a kid,” my father explained. “Some years, my mother would make them, and in later years we would buy premade ones from the store. My siblings and I used to get really excited waiting for Christmas, so this was a way to give us a little excitement each day leading up to the big day. I continued with this tradition when we had kids of our own” (Allen).

First Printed Advent Calendar:
http://www.weihnachtsmuseum. de/en/die-ausstellung/advent /adventskalender

The tradition of advent calendars dates back to mid-19th century Germany when Christians made chalk marks on doors or lit candles to count the days leading up to Christmas. In the early 1900’s, the first printed advent calendar was produced by German Gerhard Lang. Lang’s calendar was inspired by one his mother made him as a child. He received twenty-four candies sewn into the lid of a box, and was allowed to eat one each day during the advent period: the four week period beginning on the Sunday nearest the feast day of St. Andrew on November 30. The countdown of the “advent’ or “coming” of Christmas was originally began as a time for converts of Christianity to prepare for baptism, but is now more commonly associated with the anticipation of the anniversary of Christ’s birthday on December 25. Eventually, the popularity of Lang’s calendar began to spread, and by the end of the 1930s, they were being sold by several publishers around the globe.

Lindt Chocolates:
http://mostlyaboutchocolate. com/lindt-christmas-treats- collection/

Today, most advent calendars include paper doors that open to reveal image, Bible verse, or piece of chocolate. The daily gift receive is a fun way for kids to enjoy the devastating month-long wait leading up to Christmas, and it is something I plan to continue as my family’s tradition.  

Works Cited

Allen, Scott. “A Brief History of Advent Calendars.” Mental Floss, 1 Dec. 2010, mentalfloss.com/article/26522/brief-history-advent-calendars. Accessed 25 Oct. 2017.

Allen, Steve. Interview. 25 Oct. 2017.

Sellmer Verlag, Richard. “History of Advent Calendar.” Traditional Advent Calendars, sellmer-verlag.de/history.htm. Accessed 25 Oct. 2017.

Wohlfahrt, Käthe. “Advent Calendars.” Deutches Weihnachtsmuseum, www.weihnachtsmuseum.de/en/die-ausstellung/advent/adventskalender. Accessed 25 Oct. 2017.