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Already a proven success
A similar concept has already proven to be a huge success in Denmark when in 1962, a group of Danes wanted to raise money for poor children in developing countries. Since then, many talented Danish artists have illustrated The Danish Christmas Calendars annually and donated calendar profits to many noble children’s charities. A couple of years ago the Danish Christmas Calendar was raising money to build schools in Ethiopia; last year they raised money for refugee children in Burma.
After the premiere of the illustrated paper Danish Christmas Calendar, a television series for children was produced to go with the calendar every year. Each year a different story and production was created, always celebrating the Winter Holiday season. Each year a new artist illustrated the paper calendar to match the story of that year’s television production. At least 25 different television productions have been successfully produced over 45 years and many of those have replayed in later years.
The history of the Advent Calendar
The Advent Calendar has been around for more than 150 years
and becomes more popular every year.
The first advent calendars appeared in 19th-Century Germany,
when various methods of counting the days between the start
of Advent and Christmas Day were used. Starting on the fourth
Sunday before Christmas, or simply on 1 December, the Protestant
Christians would keep track of the days by making marks on
their doors with a piece of chalk, which would then be rubbed
off one by one as Christmas approached. Other practices then
developed, including burning a candle or putting up a small
religious picture to mark each day.
There is some disagreement as to when the first printed advent
calendars appeared, although it is clear that they were first
produced at some time in the 1900s. There are claims that
a Christian bookshop in Hamburg produced a 'Christmas Clock'
in 1902, and a newspaper in Stuttgart is known to have included
an advent calendar in its pages in 1904. However, the first
mass producer of advent calendars is thought to have been
Gerhard Lang, who worked at the Reichhold & Lang printing
office in Munich. He released his first advent calendar in
1908 and had a steady business going which produced over thirty
patterns of calendar until some time in the 1930s. The calendars
would usually have 24 doors, but tended to be better-decorated
than modern versions.
Soon enough, calendars were being designed with little doors
or pouches which contained small holiday pictures or bible
extracts. Better still, some of the calendars also contained
sweets in order to keep the attention of young children. The
practice escalated up until the Second World War, when paper
and cardboard were rationed and advent-calendar production
ground to a halt. Once the war ended, though, the production
began again, pioneered by Richard Sellmer in 1946.
The introduction of the advent calendar to the USA was aided
by 'Ike' Eisenhower, whose grandchildren took a shine to the
idea. The calendar was soon adopted in other countries too,
and in some countries chocolates began to appear behind the
little doors as soon as rationing would allow. By the end
of the 1950s, chocolate advent calendars had appeared, and
by the following decade they had become widespread. They still
exist today, with hundreds of different varieties appearing
across the globe.
 Types Of Advent Calendar
The modern advent calendar consists of a carboard surround,
usually decorated in some popular culture or chocolate-related
theme which has been adjusted to look Christmassy, bearing
at least 24 little doors. Non-religious Christmas Calendar
designs have also invited larger audiences to celebrate this
old Christmas tradition.
Other calendars may contain a small toy or an instant scratchcard
each day, depending on the calendar's target audience. Permanent
calendars are also available, some consisting of decorative
wooden structures which contain little drawers, one for each
day. Others come in the shape of trees or are made to surround
a Christmas tree, allowing for the star to be placed on top
after the 24th door is opened. German calendars still have
24 doors, although some which appear in English-speaking countries
have a special 25th door or pocket for Christmas Day. Some
modern calendars have up to 31 doors and also include the
Jewish festival of Hanukkah and/or New Year's Eve, with the
latter sort sometimes not containing a chocolate for New Year's
Day due to the fact that everyone will be on a diet.
Homemade Calendars
There are several different ways to make your own advent calendar
from scratch. For instance, a calendar could consist of 24
little boxes hanging from a Christmas tree as decorations,
or 24 little paper bags pegged to a small 'washing line',
each with a small decoration on it. Alternatively, you could
make a small tree out of green cardboard and pin 24 little
socks to it, with each 'stocking' containing a small gift.
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