The holiday season is upon us, and advent calendars are making their yearly appearance in homes across the world. But it seems there’s some debate around the “proper” way to use these festive countdowns. Should you start with door #1 on December 1st and end on door #24? Or does it make more sense to begin with #24 at the start of the month and count backwards down to #1 on Christmas Eve?
As a professional advent calendar printing manufacturer, I aim to settle this age-old advent calendar quandary once and for all. Read on to discover the origins of these holiday countdowns, the religious implications, and why – despite some dissenting opinions online – tradition dictates opening door #1 on Dec 1st.
What is an Advent Calendar?
Let’s start with the basics. An advent calendar is used to count down the days until Christmas, usually from December 1st through 24th. The vast majority contain 24 doors, with a little treat (often chocolate) behind each one.
Some modern advent calendars now feature 25 doors, with #25 housing a special surprise for Christmas day. But traditionally, these festive countdowns stop at the 24th.
The History and Religious Origins
To understand the intended use of advent calendars, we need to examine their origins. These holiday countdowns have their roots in 19th century Germany. Back then, German Lutherans would mark off each day on their doorframe from December 1st as part of the Advent tradition.
What’s Advent, you ask? It’s a Christian period lasting about four weeks leading up to Christmas day. The word itself comes from the Latin term adventus, meaning “coming”. For early Christians, this was a time of preparation before celebrating Jesus’ birth on December 25th.
So Germans would mark off each of the 24 days on their doorframe using chalk or sometimes candles. This allowed them to visually count up the days until the Christmas celebration.
Eventually, this practice evolved into the first printed advent calendar in 1902, courtesy of German printer Gerhard Lang. His mother used to give him 24 cookies, one for each day leading up to Christmas, which inspired his advent calendar creation.
Note the underlying pattern here: all these early advent practices centered around counting up from day 1 through to Christmas, not counting back down. With this context in mind…
Which Way to Open Advent Calendar?
You Should Start on Day #1. Given the history and religious foundation of advent calendars, it’s clear the intention is to mimic the Advent period. In other words, to visualize the building excitement and anticipation towards Christmas day.
You start slowly, perhaps with a small chocolate or religious image on Dec 1st. Then day-by-day, that anticipation grows and grows, mirrored by the revealing of treats hidden behind tiny calendar doors. It reaches a crescendo celebration on Christmas day itself.
So while some folks nowadays advocate starting at #24 and counting down, that goes against what advent calendars represent. There’s a reason these holiday countdowns remain enormously popular – they capture that infectious building excitement perfectly!
Beginning at #24 ruins this imagery and excitement-building momentum. Plus you’d have to reorder treats so the best ones come first, which complicates matters.
Simply put, tradition and history show advent calendars should begin Dec 1st with door #1, not #24. Case closed!
What the Experts Say
I’m clearly not alone in my assertion that advent calendars should begin with door #1. Religious scholars and consumer experts alike recommend starting on December 1st.
Popular Christian website Crosswalk states:
“Begin with December 1 as day one and continue to open the designated door each day until December 24th or 25th, depending on how many days are indicated on your particular Advent calendar.”
Likewise, writer Emily Lawrence on Bustle advises:
“Using the historical context, it seems that the proper way to work through an advent calendar is starting with the box labeled ‘one.’ The point of the calendar is not to count down, but rather to count up towards the days before Christmas.”
So if you want to properly align with tradition, forego the notion of using your advent calendar as a simple countdown timer. Instead embrace the original meaning – allow that wave of anticipation and excitement to swell steadily towards December 25th!
Alternative Advent Calendar Options
I’ve focused predominantly on traditional advent calendars containing 24-25 doors loaded with chocolates or small gifts. But the same principle of starting at #1 applies to more modern variants as well.
For instance, reusable fabric calendars are growing in popularity. These contain little pockets where you can place a small treat or note each day. Some parents even let kids add their own surprises!
Wooden calendars with clips are another reusable option gaining traction. You attach 24 gift bags or envelopes numbered 1-24, each containing something exciting to uncover day-by-day.
Again, the key is to begin at #1, not #24. Embrace that slow anticipation build! Plus kids love ripping open each new present as they appear, adding to the excitement.
What If My Calendar Only Has 12 Doors?
Some modern advent calendars – particularly ones designed specifically for adults – contain fewer than 24 doors. You may find wine, jewelry or beauty calendars with only 12 or 18 tiny openings for instance.
A smaller number of doors makes the countdown aspect more prominent. But treat these just like regular calendars, beginning on December 1st with door #1 regardless of the total number.
The only exception? If #1 is clearly labeled as starting on a later date like December 13th or something. In those rare cases, follow whichever direction the calendar provides.
But generally, even 12-18 day advent calendars are designed to start from the 1st. So pop open door #1 and enjoy your first item – perhaps a little nip of Prosecco or shimmery eyeshadow!
The Verdict? Embrace Tradition From #1
While everyone is certainly entitled to use advent calendars however they wish, tradition indicates beginning with door #1 on December 1st. This aligns with the original meaning – visually counting up each day of anticipation towards Christmas. Plus experts agree #1 is the way to go.
So don’t get swayed by modern notions of using advent calendars as simple 24-day countdown timers. Begin slowly on the 1st, let that sense of excitement build bit-by-bit…then enjoy an amazing Christmas day!