Advent calendars have become a beloved tradition for many families leading up to Christmas. As soon as December 1st hits, children anxiously await opening the little cardboard doors each day in anticipation of the holiday. But have you ever wondered why do we use an advent calendar? What’s the history and meaning behind this popular custom? As a professional advent calendar printing manufacturer, I will answer this question in this article.
Why Do We Use an Advent Calendar?
An advent calendar is a special calendar used in the days leading up to Christmas. It serves several purposes, including:
Counting Down to Christmas
One of the primary reasons we use advent calendars is to count down the days until Christmas. Advent calendars help build excitement and anticipation for the holiday by designating a window, flap, or box for each day in December leading up to Christmas Eve.
Opening each door or box gives a tangible way to mark the progression of days, almost like an advent countdown timer. This sense of momentum adds to the prerelease thrill as Christmas draws nearer.
Religious Devotion
For many Christian families, an advent calendar ties into spiritual devotion during the Advent season. Special calendars may include a Bible verse, passage, or religious image behind each door intended for reflection.
Some calendars provide suggestions for activities or prayers to focus believers on the core meaning of Christmas – the birth of Jesus. So advent calendars can foster consistent faith practices in the lead-up to Christmas.
Secular Celebration
Even for non-religious families, an advent calendar represents a fun secular Christmas tradition. They allow parents to build excitement for Christmas through surprises, stories, or small treats leading to the 25th. This effectively stretches out the celebratory spirit for weeks before the big day rather than just Christmas Eve and morning.
So Christians and non-Christians alike can enjoy advent calendars as festive symbols of the Christmas season and use them as teaching tools to explain the history behind various holiday customs.
Shared Enjoyment
Posting about an advent calendar on social media or opening it as a family builds a shared experience. Children love having something new and interesting to look forward to each day. And the calendars promote spending intentional time together before the often chaotic Christmas rush of parties, shopping, baking, etc.
Product Marketing
Many companies now leverage advent calendars as product marketing tools. Trial size offerings behind each door essentially provide 24-day PR campaigns showcasing items consumers may purchase more of as gifts or for personal use after the new year. The calendars serve as win-win promotion driving sales and brand awareness.
So in many forms, advent calendars have become hallmarks of Christmas build-up for families, retailers, and Christmas culture enthusiasts alike.
History of the Advent Calendar
The advent calendar tradition originated in Germany in the late 19th century as an easy way for families to visually track progress towards Christmas throughout the month. This tied in with the Christian Advent season – the four weeks leading up to Christmas commemorating the Jewish people’s longing for a messiah.
Originally, German families would simply mark off each day by putting chalk tally marks on doors or walls. But some families decided to get creative by hanging Christmas images or lighting candles as days passed. Soon publishers and newspapers began printing polished advent calendar templates for broader cultural adoption.
What’s Behind Each Door?
While coloring pages or pieces of chocolate are most common, modern advent calendars have expanded to include a wide spectrum of items:
- Toys
- Beauty products
- Pet treats
- Tea bags
- Cheese
- Wine
- Hot sauce
Behind each tiny door or box lies a unique surprise in theme with whatever the overall calendar showcases. Some present puzzles, stories, or family activities to try instead of physical items.
Even virtual advent calendars now exist with downloadable content to open by email or apps. So there’s an ever-increasing variety of advent calendar types to appeal to different ages, faiths, interests, and budget ranges.
Getting an advent calendar has become a Christmas season custom not just for children but adults too. They make enjoyable centerpieces displaying the countdown towards Christmas that one can easily share with others online or in-person. And they serve as useful marketing tools for brands.
At their core, advent calendars represent anticipatory excitement and unity as people across the globe look forward to beloved holiday traditions.