The holiday season is hectic. Between buying gifts, decorating, baking, and getting together with friends and family, it’s easy to lose sight of what the Christmas season is all about.
That’s where advent calendars come in.
These festive calendars help you slow down and reflect on the meaning of Christmas during the four weeks leading up to the big day. But using an advent calendar goes way beyond opening tiny doors and eating chocolate.
As a professional custom advent calendar printing manufacturer, I will share how to use an advent calendar this holiday season to make Christmas more magical for you and your family.
What is an Advent Calendar?
An advent calendar is used to count down the days until Christmas, which falls on December 25. “Advent” comes from the Latin word “adventus” meaning “coming”.
Most advent calendars contain 24 doors — one for each day from December 1st to 24th (Christmas Eve). Behind each numbered door is a fun surprise like a piece of chocolate, a Christmas joke or Bible verse, a Lego figurine, or even a beauty product sample.
Some popular advent calendar themes include:
- Traditional Christmas
- Santa Claus
- Snowmen
- Christmas movies
- Toys like Lego, Playmobil, and Barbie
Reasons to Use an Advent Calendar
Here’s why getting an advent calendar can make the holiday season extra special:
Build Excitement for Christmas
Kids absolutely love opening the tiny doors every day in December. Seeing that row of doors keeps growing, building the anticipation for Christmas.
Even for adults, having something small and festive to look forward to every day makes the lead-up to Christmas more fun.
Enjoy Family Time
Sitting down together to open each door and discover that day’s surprise can become a cherished family holiday tradition.
Use the advent calendar as an opportunity to spend time together reflecting on the meaning of Christmas in a low-stress way amidst the seasonal hustle and bustle.
Focus on the True Meaning of Christmas
Many Advent calendars include a Christmas story, poem, song lyrics or Bible passage behind each door as a reminder of the origins of Christmas.
Reading a little religious-themed inspiration each day is a perfect way to prevent getting too caught-up in the frenzy of buying presents and decking halls.
Try New Treats and Surprises
Beyond just getting chocolate, modern advent calendars have expanded way beyond just candy.
Some contain amazing treasures like holiday teas, gourmet food items, bath and beauty products, small holiday décor pieces, and even fine jewelry or high-end alcohol mini-bottles.
Exploring new treats, surprises and delights really makes the advent calendar tradition extra fun for adults.
How to Use Your Advent Calendar
Once you’ve selected the perfect advent calendar for your family, here are some tips for making the most of it this Christmas season:
Start on December 1
Pick a set time (perhaps before bedtime or after dinner) to open that day’s advent calendar door beginning on December 1st.
Stick to the same routine each day throughout the entire month. Just be sure not to let kids sneak any peeks ahead of time!
Take Turns
Let each family member take a turn opening the tiny door flap. Not only does it make it more fun, but also helps ensure no one hogging all the treats for themselves.
Display It Prominently
If you have a reusable fabric advent calendar or one that gets emptier as the month goes on, display it prominently so you don’t forget about it.
People recommend placing it on the kitchen counter, coffee table, console table, bookshelf, or anywhere that’s front and center.
Pair It With Other Activities
Read a Christmas book, watch a holiday movie, play Christmas carols, do crafts projects, or just chat about your favorite holiday memories.
Use the advent calendar as a jumping off point for other festive seasonal activities to enjoy together as a family.
History & Origins
Advent calendars actually have a pretty lengthy history. Here’s a quick look at where and how this festive tradition began:
Ancient Advent Practices
Historians believe early Christians practiced a period of fasting and repentance leading up to Epiphany on January 6, which was an important feast celebrating Christ’s baptism.
Other records indicate German families counting down to Christmas as early as the mid-19th century using chalk marks on doors or lighting candles.
First Advent Calendars Emerge
In 1902, a German named Gerhard Lang produced one of the first printed advent calendars. His mother used to give him 24 cookies starting December 1, which inspired his calendar design.
Lang later enhanced his advent calendar to have little doors that opened to reveal Bible verses and pictures underneath. He began mass producing these in the 1920s.
Advent Hits The US
Advent calendars remained largely a German tradition until a 1950 LIFE magazine photo of President Dwight Eisenhower’s grandchildren holding one appeared.
Popularity in the United States skyrocketed after the iconic photo that associated advent calendars with the anticipation and excitement of Christmas.
Modern & Non-Religious Adaptations
Once advent calendars went mainstream, companies began producing secular, non-religious versions in a variety of fanciful designs beyond traditional Christmas themes.
Many modern calendars now contain non-holiday treats and surprises like toys, beauty samples, jewelry, and alcohol.
While kids still tend to prefer tiny chocolate surprises, adults enjoy these creative new advent calendar options for a different take on this long-beloved tradition.
Family Advent Activity Ideas
Beyond just opening up the doors, consider incorporating some of these ideas to enhance your family advent celebrations:
- Hold an advent calendar stuffing party where everyone personalizes calendar surprises
- Craft homemade advent calendars together as a new yearly tradition
- Play Christmas music or watch movies as you open each door
- Light the candles of an advent wreath one weeknight per week
- Read the Christmas story from the Bible
- Make heartfelt homemade Christmas cards for friends
- Decorate sugar cookies with royal icing and sprinkles
- Curl up by the lit Christmas tree together sipping hot cocoa
- Drive through nearby neighborhoods to see beautiful light displays
- Have the kids perform a simple Christmas play or song
- Ask “what are you grateful for today?” with each door opened
The more intentional you can be in making advent traditions meaningful, the more special memories your family will make this season.
While less common, some families keep the celebration going and open calendars up until Epiphany on January 6, which marks the end of the Christmas season.
Make Advent Calendars More Meaningful
The weeks breezing by between Thanksgiving and Christmas can sometimes feel more stressful than special. Advent calendars offer a dose of magic amidst the flurry of seasonal busyness.
Use an advent calendar to provide daily inspiration reflecting on gratitude, giving, worship, friendship, and quality time with your loved ones. Prioritize simple ways to have fun while keeping Christmas in perspective.
If having something fun to look forward to each day helps you slow down, unwind, or reconnect as a family even briefly, then these festive calendars will have served their purpose well.
May these decades-old holiday traditions launch new ones that you’ll treasure for many Christmases to come.