Handmade Bethlehem

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The Beginnings Of Advent Calendar

At the turn of the 19th century in Germany, Protestants count down the days till Christmas by simply making chalk lines on the door or other surfaces. Thus, came the birth of Advent calendars.

It was Gerhard Lang who printed the first advent calendar in Germany in 1908. It was inspired by his mother who made him a simple advent calendar and taught him to count down the days until Christmas. Her mother placed 24 pieces of small candies for which Gerhard would take a piece each day. The very first calendar he made did not have windows instead, it had colored pictures attached to a piece of cardboard representing each day of advent. Afterwards, little doors were added which was opened each day with a religious picture on it or verse or a piece of candy.

At the height of World Ward II, German Advent Calendars were not manufactured because of the strict rationing of cardboard. However, in 1946, Richard Sellmer initiated the manufacturing of advent calendars again in Germany. He had to secure a printing license from the U.S. Military and bought the paper he used in the U.S. Military zone. Advent calendars were handmade back then. In 1950, Advent calendars started selling and became a hit in the United States.

The first advent calendar made by Richard Sellmer was called “The Little Town”. It has pictures of many buildings in the town, which when its windows and doors are opened, one would find pretty things inside representing each day of advent. They also made the very famous lamp shade advent calendar that would fit any lamp and would turn around under heat with 24 windows open. Later on, a Carols Calendar was created with a song for each day of the advent. By 1954, the White House calendar was created with the view of the White House in Washington. After awhile, they produced several kinds of pull out advent calendars.

Presently, the most common type of advent calendar is printed on a cardboard with 24 small doors. These calendars vary in several themes but the most common are the religious ones like Mary and Joseph approaching a stable, nativity scenes, churches, Bethlehem, winter wonderland, and many others. There is also the Santa stocking advent calendar which has a picture of a Christmas tree on it and you hang an ornament on the tree for each day of Advent. A magnetic calendar wherein you can place different figures from the nativity scene each day was also created by Fontanini which can be placed on the refrigerator. For people who are garden fanatics, there is also the garden lovers advent calendar collage with a beautiful painting of a flower in every window.

Teaching our children of the importance of advent and the use of advent calendar is a great way to prepare them for Christmas. It also adds more meaning for families everywhere in the world if we put in a good combination of tradition with the use of advent calendars and advent wreaths.

About the Author

For more Christmas trivia, visit
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Christmas Calendar
and check out out newly published article about the Beginnings of Advent Calendar.