Advent calendars date back hundreds of years, with some families drawing a chalk line to mark each day of December. One hand-made fabric advent calendar is known to date from 1851, while other communities used Advent candles, lighting one for each of the 24 days leading up to Christmas – not too dissimilar to the Advent Wreath still in use today.
The first printed advent calendar was apparently produced in Germany in 1908, and a few years later the same maker introduced an Advent calendar with opening doors. With rationing and war in the 30s and 40s advent calendars became less common but eventually in the late 50s we began to see advent calendars with chocolate in them. These remain popular, even ubiquitous today, but with concerns over waste (all that plastic), quality (not everyone wants to start their daily diet with a piece of sugar-laden chocolate!) and cost (cheapest chocolate calendars from around £2, but calendars with luxury gifts running in to hundreds of pounds) we’re seeing a resurgence of handmade calendars that you can personalise.
With a handmade calendar each year you can choose what you will put behind the numbered pockets….. so what will you put in yours?
