It’s the most wonderful time of the year — time for advent calendars! As a kid, it was always tempting to rip open every window on your advent calendar to get to the chocolate inside. I’ll admit, I lacked some impulse control and would open more than one window a day. But does it actually matter if you open your advent calendar early?
Here’s the deal — what happens if you open an advent calendar early depends on who you ask. Some people take advent traditions very seriously, while others see advent calendars as just a fun holiday custom. In this post, as a professional advent calendar printing manufacturer, I’ll break down the history of advent calendars, the significance of advent in Christianity, and whether opening your advent calendar early is naughty or nice.
A Brief History of Advent Calendars
Let’s rewind back to the early days of advent calendars. The first advent calendars appeared in the 19th century in Germany. Back then, German families would mark their doors or walls with chalk tallies counting down the days until Christmas.
It wasn’t until the early 1900s that the first modern advent calendar was created by a German printer named Gerhard Lang. He made cardboard advent calendars with little doors that opened each day to reveal Bible verses and Christmas images.
Advent calendars didn’t spread to the United States until after World War II. It took an appearance in Newsweek magazine in 1954 to spark their popularity. And it wasn’t until 1958 that Cadbury, the British chocolate company, first put pieces of chocolate behind little calendar doors.
So while opening an advent calendar door each day to get a piece of chocolate is a beloved tradition today, the original advent calendars were intended to be spiritual countdowns to the birth of Jesus Christ.
The Religious Significance of Advent
To understand if opening your advent calendar early is “naughty or nice,” it helps to know the religious history of advent.
Advent is an important season for Christians as they prepare for the celebration of Jesus’s birth on Christmas Day. Advent comes from the Latin word “adventus,” meaning “arrival.”
The season of advent lasts for four Sundays leading up to Christmas:
- 1st Sunday of Advent
- 2nd Sunday of Advent
- 3rd Sunday of Advent
- 4th Sunday of Advent
Since the date of Christmas changes every year, the start date of advent changes too. But advent always begins four Sundays before December 25.
During advent, Christians use the four weeks to spiritually prepare for the arrival of Jesus on Christmas day. It’s meant to be a season of prayer, fasting, and anticipation.
Back in the early 20th century when advent calendars first appeared, part of their purpose was to help Christians count down the days until this important date.
So now you know why an advent calendar with 25 days or treats leading up to Christmas misses the religious significance of advent if it starts on December 1! Technically, advent calendars should have 28-31 days depending on the year.
Is It “Naughty” to Open Your Calendar Early?
Maybe after learning the religious history behind advent calendars, you’re wondering…am I being “naughty” if I open my advent calendar early?
Some Christian families do take advent traditions very seriously. They carefully observe the four Sundays of advent and see opening each door of the calendar as part of spiritual preparation.
So opening the whole calendar early or even just a couple doors early would disrupt their religious observance.
But outside of devout Christian families, most people today see advent calendars as just a fun Christmas custom. While the tradition is to open one door per day, modern secular calendars aren’t bound to strict religious guidelines.
Even religious leaders seem to acknowledge that practices around advent have changed. As Rev. Sarah Howell-Miller told Food & Wine:
“In a lot of places, Advent either doesn’t exist—it gets eclipsed by Christmas starting the day after Halloween—or is basically the countdown to Santa.”
So although advent calendar rituals have religious roots, it’s understandable that not everyone today associates them with formal religious observances.
The Verdict: Naughty or Nice to Open Early?
When you break it down, whether opening your advent calendar early is “naughty” or “nice” depends on your reasons behind the tradition.
If you value advent as a time of spiritual preparation, opening your calendar early would detract from that. But if you see it as just a fun way to count down until Christmas, the rules can be more relaxed.
Psychologists do link the tendency to open the full calendar early with personality traits like struggle with impulse control and desire for instant gratification. But occasional slipping up while trying to pace yourself is understandable!
At the end of the day, how strictly you adhere to advent calendar guidelines is up to you. Just be sensitive if participating in a calendar with others who value the religious aspects.
And if nothing else, restraining yourself can make that final chocolate on December 24 even sweeter!