Home → Christmas → Advent Calendars
Advent calendars have been a Christmas tradition since the 19th century, though perhaps not in the form with which we are familiar today. German Lutherans would countdown the 24 days until Christmas starting on December 1 by simply drawing a chalk line on a door or lighting a candle.…
Related Search:
Modern advent calendars are typically thin cardboard boxes with 24 perforated "windows," for each day of December prior to Christmas. Each day, the family opens one of the compartments to reveal what is inside. The popular chocolate advent calendars contain a piece of candy, though more traditional advent calendars contain Christmas tree ornaments or figures for a Nativity scene.
Another popular type of advent calendar are felt advent calendars. These are especially appealing to arts and craft hobbyists, as a felt calendar is one of the easiest homemade advent calendars to make from scratch. Felt advent calendars are made of cloth or felt and contain numbered pockets, rather than punch-out windows. Also, because felt pieces can be adhered to a felt backdrop with static electricity, many felt advent calendars feature a Christmas tree background on which the family can place miniature felt ornaments each day.
In recent years, the concept of advent calendars for kids and adults alike has been expanded to include more traditions and holidays. There are now advent calendars on the market that countdown to Hanukkah, Boxing Day and New Year's Eve. These advent calendars are more inclusive of the season which we now typically refer to simply as "the holidays."
