What Is an Advent Calendar? Rooted in Religion, These Calendars Are For Everyone

Each year, shortly after Thanksgiving, our household Advent calendar, a simple carved wooden upright box with 24 tiny doors, is collected from our basement. My children and I dust it off, add some greenery and a few small strings of fairy lights around it, and it becomes a part of our holiday decor as we prepare for Christmas. On the first day of December, we open one door a day and enjoy a treat, like a foil-wrapped chocolate Santa. Like many who celebrate, the Advent calendar has remained a beloved tradition, even as my kids have grown older.

“Advent calendars, as I remember them, were always little paper calendars with a window to open each day and a picture inside of a holiday or nativity scene,” shares Reverend Carrie Ballenger, the pastor at the University Lutheran Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts. “Later, it felt special when we had a chocolate Santa inside for each day to enjoy in December. Today, we have Advent calendars that feature beer, LEGOs, special jams, and pretty much anything you can think of!”

Advent calendars do hold anything from candy to coffee beans and perfume to puzzles, sold by retailers looking to capitalize on their customers' love of these gift-filled calendars—but the season that inspires them is anything but commercial.

What is Advent?

The word “Advent” is from the Latin word “adventus,” which signifies (in this context) the coming of the Christ child. Advent is the season leading up to Christmas and is celebrated by Christians worldwide. “Advent is typically honored for the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Traditionally, it was known as a time of penitence and fasting,” shares Reverend Ballenger.

“During these weeks [in church], we hear biblical texts which encourage us to be prepared and ready for the birth of Jesus but also the second coming of Christ in the last days. It's not really a joyful time, yet! But over the centuries, different cultures have developed traditions which help to make that time of anticipation exciting,” she explains.

The season of Advent harkens back to the fourth Century and is observed by Western churches starting on the Sunday nearest the Feast of St. Andrew (November 30) and for the following three Sundays after that. Each Sunday during Advent in churches or homes, Advent wreath candles are lit, there are traditional prayers and readings; each candle also represents love, joy, hope, and peace. You light one candle each Sunday.

Advent calendars are a special way to celebrate the holiday season one day at a time, with tiny treats or gifts, during the 24 days before Christmas. Traditionally made from paper, with holiday or nativity scenes, you open one door, flap, or window to reveal an image related to Christmas.

When is Advent?

“For churches that follow a liturgical calendar, Advent is a season of preparation and prayer that leads up to Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus,” explains Ballenger. “For Western Christians, this is honored on December 25, and for Eastern Christians, on January 6. Interestingly, in Jerusalem (and only there!) Christmas is celebrated by Armenian Christians on January 18-19.”

For Western Christians, the first Sunday in Advent is always closest to November 30. Most commercial Advent calendars follow the Western model and start on December 1, around or near the first Sunday of Advent, depending on the calendar year.

This year, the four Sundays in Advent (for most churches in the U.S.) are December 1, 8, 15, and 22, 2024.

What is an Advent calendar?

Advent calendars traditionally were paper calendars with a window or door (with a number on it from 1-24) that you open to reveal a holiday-themed image. Advent calendars often depict a scene, such as a nativity, Christmas tree, winter village, and other holiday images, and within the scene are windows or doors (or just flaps) with numbers 1-24 on them. When you open them, you can see an image related to Christmas.

Another early popular Advent calendar contained tiny chocolates. These calendars were (and still are) designed like the illustrated ones with numbered flaps, but contained a small piece of chocolate. Both paper and chocolate-filled Advent calendars are popular today, but the market has grown to include dog treats, hot sauce, socks, perfume, and nearly anything retailers can think up—including beer. Many Advent calendars only go up to six or 12 days, presumably to market higher quality goods and larger items, versus the traditional 24 days, as well. The Advent calendar has come a long way since the first one sold.

The history of the Advent calendar

The roots of the Advent calendar came from German protestants who created clever ways to count down the days until Christmas. The first commercial Advent calendar (similar to the traditional ones today) was created in the early 1900s by a German printer named Gerhard Lang, whose mother made him homemade calendars to count the days down until Christmas. He published Advent calendar designs by children's book illustrators, including Christmas trees, clocks, and other holiday scenes. He is credited with creating the first Advent calendar with chocolate and, interestingly, a Braille one. Older still, the first wooden Advent calendar was likely created in Germany in 1851, and continues to be popular today.

These calendars, and others like them, were extremely popular in the 1930s in Europe, particularly Germany. After World War II, they came back into vogue, and American interest was piqued when then-President Dwight Eisenhower was photographed with one and his grandchildren. Over the decades, their popularity grew, especially when candy was added.

While you can still buy traditional, beautifully illustrated, German paper calendars and ones with small chocolates behind colorful windows and flaps, and wooden Advent calendars, retailers have created hundreds (if not more) forms of Advent calendars for shoppers that are eons away from the first ones made in the 19th century.

How to use an Advent calendar

Anyone can use an Advent calendar! You simply open the number corresponding to the date you are on in December. Depending on the calendar, one window, flap, door, or, in some cases, a tiny cupboard or small drawer is opened to reveal an image, prayer, small treat, candy, or gift. While retailers are selling them as early as July (and some sell them year-round), when I was young, they could usually be found in stores in early November. Some Advent calendars, like free-standing wooden ones, are meant to be used year after year; others are disposable and only work once, like chocolate-filled ones.

Daily rituals and traditions of Advent

For Christians, there are many daily rituals and traditions during the Advent season. “Some of those traditions include preparing the home for the holiday by cleaning, putting up a Christmas tree, preparing gifts for friends and family, and baking,” says Ballenger. “Many households have an Advent wreath with one candle for each Sunday of the season. Families may gather around this wreath to pray, sing, and light one more candle each week.”

Another tradition is using an Advent calendar to mark the days before Christmas. “I think Advent calendars and candles have grown in popularity with the general public because it's a way of bringing light into a season that can be cold and dark (at least in this part of the world!). I don't see any problem with people sharing this idea if it brings them joy. Counting down to special occasions is lovely, though one might not need to call it an Advent calendar,” says Ballenger.

Types of Advent calendars

Traditional Advent calendars

Traditionally, Advent calendars, like many Christmas traditions from Germany, were made of paper depicting beautiful holiday scenes, both secular and religious. You can still buy them today, made from wood or paper, with scenes like winter villages, Christmas trees, and the nativity.

Chocolate Advent calendars

According to historians, the first chocolate Advent calendar was produced in 1958, but when Cadbury launched one in 1971, chocolate Advent calendars became a synonymous (if not secular) symbol of the beginning of the holiday season in the United Kingdom and later in the United States. Chocolate Advent calendars continue to be popular today, with higher-end offerings than the solid chocolate foil-wrapped ones. In addition, Advent sweets have expanded in the 21st century from peppermint bark to gummies.

Beauty Advent calendars

This is a perfect example of retailers expanding (and capitalizing) on the Advent calendar market to draw in customers during the holidays. You can find beauty-themed Advent calendars with special products and sample sizes when you want to treat yourself in December.

Advent calendars for kids

Traditionally, Advent calendars were designed with children in mind to help them pass the days until Christmas. Beyond the beautifully illustrated paper cards, which can be delicate and difficult for small fingers to open, parents may prefer to purchase ones that are easy to use and have a longer shelf life than a candy calendar.

Many retailers sell Advent calendars made of felt and other soft materials that can be hung on a wall or door and have pockets so that parents can stuff them with little gifts and messages—plus, these cheerful calendars can pull double duty as a holiday decoration. There are also toy calendars from LEGO and other companies marketed to kids (and their parents).

DIY Advent calendars

You can make your own Advent calendars; it simply takes a little ingenuity. All you need is a vessel for each day—think of stacking small cups or coffee or tea tins in the shape of a Christmas tree, or paint or wrap 24 tiny matchboxes and put them under a potted plant with tiny lights or a small Christmas tree decoration—open one a day.

I once tried using binder clips and a string of fairy lights and hand-clipped 24 small decorated envelopes containing a note, sticker, and mini candy canes for each day for my kids. Full disclosure: They liked the chocolate ones better.

Ballenger’s family took a different approach. “I raised my kids in a place far away from my parents,” shared Ballenger. “My mom wanted to have a special way to connect with the grandkids during the season, so she made an Advent box that she sent them with one tiny present for each day of Advent and a larger one for each Sunday—chocolates, ornaments, Pop-Tarts, etc. They loved it! She even sent them these boxes when they went off to college, which made them popular with their dorm-mates!”

Thematic Advent calendars

Toy makers have jumped on the Advent calendar bandwagon, and you can find many thematic calendars for teens and adults, too. Harry Potter and Star Wars remain annual favorites, along with Disney characters, Funko Pop, and other recognizable characters.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How is Advent celebrated?

“As a pastor, I encourage people to take time away from the business of the holiday season for reflection and prayer,” says Ballenger. “Lighting a candle and giving thanks for the blessings of family and friends is one way to start. It's traditional to give gifts not only to loved ones but to the stranger and those in need.” She suggests asking yourself: “How can the season of Christmas preparation include blessing others in your community? For example, it would be interesting to have an Advent calendar in which each day included a way to bless someone else with a donation, a kind word, or a meal.”

While Advent is a season celebrated by Christians, anyone can observe it. Incorporating traditions to spread light and cheer during the dark days of December is a good way to incorporate goodwill, regardless of your beliefs.

What do you put in an Advent calendar?

You can put anything you want in an Advent calendar, from small notes to candy, toys, ornaments, stickers, and cookies—the list is endless. It just depends on the size of the calendar and the recipient's preferences.

Can adults use Advent calendars?

Yes. The market for Advent calendars goes far beyond children. There are calendars stocked with hot sauce, mini jams, socks, and many other items.

Are Advent calendars only at Christmas?

The answer would have been yes at one time, but today, you can find Advent-style calendars to count to holidays like Halloween. I wouldn’t call them Advent calendars since Advent only occurs in the period leading up to Christmas. Ballenger agrees.

“Cynically, I think companies saw a way to make a lucrative shopping season longer! I started to see advertisements for Advent calendars in August this year. I don't see any harm in it, though I had to laugh when I saw someone selling an Easter Advent calendar,” says Ballenger. “There's already a name for the weeks leading up to Easter. It's called Lent, and during that time, most Christians practice some form of fasting, prayer, and giving alms in preparation for the death and resurrection of Jesus. It's a solemn time. Calling it ‘Advent’ is just silly, in my opinion, and is definitely a marketing ploy.”