The Complete History of the Advent Calendar You Didn’t Know
From German crayons to Cadbury and Dior: How a religious custom became a global phenomenon and marketing tool
I was a child when I received my first Advent calendar. It was a flat box with a picture of Santa Claus riding in a carriage with reindeer. It had 24 randomly arranged windows, and it was my first Christmas adventure — finding the right number to eat a piece of chocolate. But have you ever wondered where this ritual actually came from?
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| Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash |
The history of the Advent calendar is much deeper than just chocolate. It’s a tale of religious anticipation, German ingenuity, and how marketing transformed a humble countdown into a multi-million-dollar industry of beauty, perfume, and luxury. Let’s follow this journey from simple chalk lines to Chanel calendars.
The Origins of Advent: How Were Days Counted Before the Calendar?
The word “Advent” (from the Latin — adventus, meaning “coming”) denotes the period of anticipation of Christmas, or preparation for the arrival of Christ.
Before the advent of Advent calendars, Christian families had various ways of counting the days until Christmas. For example, in Germany, chalk calendars were used — that is, a line was drawn with chalk each day. Another way of counting was by adding one straw at a time to the nativity scene, or by adding one character from the scene to it.
There was also a custom of lighting candles on a wreath of fir branches. Originally, there were 24 of them, and one was lit daily. They could be lit in an “Advent ladder” or on other daily candlesticks.
There was also a variation with four candles (usually three purple and one pink), and one was lit once a week, starting on the first Sunday of Advent.
Other families hung a religious image or a prayer text daily. Thus began the tradition of counting down the days to the holiday. But for now, it was purely religious.
Gerhard Lang and the Birth of a Printed Legend (1908)
In the mid-19th century, the first handmade Advent calendars appeared in Germany.
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| Vintage German Paper Advent Calendar |
Around 1908, the first printed Advent calendar appeared, created by Gerhard Lang. It was a calendar made of thick cardboard with 24 individual images, some of which were religious. The calendar was called “Im Lande des Christkinds” (“In the Land of the Christ Child”).
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| One of the earliest printed Advent calendars |
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| A charming, antique German Advent Calendar, reminiscent of early 20th-century illustration |
This is how the modern prototype of Advent was formed.
From Stuttgart Around the World: Advent after 1945
During World War II, such calendars were banned due to their religious imagery. But in 1945, they returned to production, and demand for them proved strong. Richard Sellmer Verlag (Stuttgart) was then in charge of calendar production.
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| The Little Town: A 1946 German Advent Calendar Historic Reproduction |
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| Authentic 1950s West German Advent Calendar featuring a Classic Nativity Design |
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| Vintage German Advent Calendar |
The first mentions of a chocolate Advent calendar appeared in the 1950s; according to various sources, this was 1953, 1957, or 1958.
The Chocolate Era: How Cadbury Turned Tradition into a Trend
In 1971, the British chocolate company Cadbury, sensing potential, released its first Advent calendar — and it was a success. However, it wasn’t released regularly; it wasn’t until 1993 that production became annual.
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| Cadbury 2018 Advent Calendar: Vintage Cover Series (Inspired by Designs such as the 1994 Edition |
Manufacturers and marketers of various goods have begun to compete with various types of Advent calendars. Calendars are no longer a purely children’s tradition. Now, they can be found not only in chocolate, but also in cosmetics, perfumes, and bath sets.
Manufacturers are even varying the number of days in the calendar; there are calendars with 12 and even 10 windows.
From Dior to Bloggers: Commerce vs. Surprise
Dior released its first Advent calendar in 2019, followed by Chanel in 2021. Advent has become a powerful tool for marketers to engage customers and maximize profits at the end of the year.
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| The Dior Advent Calendar |
The Advent Calendar has proven that anticipation and surprise are always valuable. And while big brands compete with luxury sets, I am simply focused on creating interesting and valuable things to sweeten your holiday wait. Take a look; maybe you’ll find something useful for yourself or just something cute here? 🦝
Do you buy or make your own Advent calendars? Which brand of Advent calendar would you prefer?
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