Once Halloween is over, the holiday season begins to quickly creep faster and faster upon us! With Thanksgiving being nearly forgotten about thanks to the anticipation leading up to “Black Friday” and people’s impatience go shopping for Christmas gifts so early, it adds more excitement to the holidays. While new traditions are born as the years go by, some will stay the same for generations to come.

Advent is a Christian tradition, which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and begins the church’s year. It is closest to the Feast Day of St. Andrew the Apostle. It is believed the word Advent is derived from Latin, which means “the coming”. Advent Calendars generally do not follow the Advent waiting period but instead begin on December 1st and ending on Christmas Eve.

Before the Advent Calendars, people would count down to Christmas by lighting candles or crossing days off their own calendars. The calendars everyone knows with the chocolate originally started in Germany back in the 1800s, when one opened a small door and revealed a picture which were based from the Hebrew Bible, from December 1-24 (sometimes til December 31st, for New Year’s). This tradition soon spread throughout Europe and North America and now there are different kinds of Advent Calendars. While they still conceal a picture, there is usually a small surprise inside, like a piece of chocolate or other sweet.

Advent Calendars are still popular gifts to give to loved ones, big or small and teaches children to be patient when it comes to waiting for the big day when Santa Claus (or Father Christmas in the UK) makes his stop!