Advent Calendars

As the countdown to Christmas begins many children ( and some adults) will be opening the doors on their Advent calendars. The origins of the Advent calendar come from German Lutherans who, at least as early as the beginning of the 19th century, would count the days of Advent physically. Some people marked their doors with chalk each day and some lit a new candle every day.

Nowadays, Advent calendars come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The most common form is made up of two sheets of cardboard with 24 little doors which, when opened, reveal little pictures depicting the Nativity or other common Christmas paraphernalia such as holly or reindeer. Some calendars contain chocolates for each day and some are made of cloth and contain little figures. In a town in Germany they even have a real-life giant advent calendar!

If you haven't managed to find an Advent calendar yet, or if perhaps you think you are too old for such a thing, why don't you check out this online version! You won't find chocolates or little gifts inside it, but on each day you will find a link to some interesting information about Christmas in other countries around the globe.