5 Interesting Facts About Advent Calendars.

  I did not grow up using an advent calendar.  Didn't even know what one was until I was in college when my roommate's mother sent one to be used in December.

Advent is a four week period beginning on the Sunday closest to November 30th.  Advent has been around since the 4th century.  Originally, it was a period of time used for people converting to Christianity to prepare for baptism but now its associated with the approaching Christmas time.

The Advent calendar originated in the mid 19th century when someone created a wooden one to hold devotional images.  Prior to this, protestant believers marked the days off on a door or lit candles each day. This continued to the early 1900's when a Gerhard Lang, a German,  produced the first printed Advent calendar based on one his mother made when he was young.  The idea was to take the 24 colored pictures and attach them to a board but later on, he made the doors so they opened much like the ones today. 

These Advent calendars became extremely popular in Germany but production was suspended during World War II due to a shortage of cardboard but once the war ended, Advent Calendars became available again.  Most current calendars run from December 1 for 24 days so people can count down to Christmas. 

Here are 5 interesting facts about Advent Calendars.

1.  President Eisenhower is credited with making the Advent calendar popular in the United States because he was frequently photographed using one with his grandchildren.

2. One of the most expensive calendars produced to be built cost $50,000 back in 2007 when the 4 foot Christmas Tree shaped wooden structures was marketed at Harrods.  Each compartment had a piece of organic chocolate from Green & Black and the proceeds from sales went to help Belize farmers who raised cocoa.

3. In 2007, the largest Advent calendar made an appearance at the St. Pancras train station in London.  It stood just under 233 feet tall with a width of just over 75 feet. 

4.  Even Lego has produced an Advent Calendar with figures or buildibles behind each of the doors. 

5.  In 2008, someone created an Advent Calendar which used space photos from the Hubble Telescope.