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The Advent Calendar

The first known Advent Calendar, done by hand, dates back to 1851. Early styles depicted the Advent clock or the Advent candle, with one candle for each of the 24 days to Christmas. Religious families hung one little picture on the wall for each day in December.

Another calendar-related tradition was putting chalk marks on the door, one a day until Christmas Eve.

Gerhard Lang, working at the German printing office of Reichhold & Lang, made small colored pictures to put on cardboard each day in December. This 1908 Advent Calendar was the first one to be printed, but it didn't have any windows or doors to open. This calendar was named a "Christmas-Calendar" or "Munich Christmas-Calendar".

At the start of the 20th century Lang made the first Advent Calendars that had little doors to open. The Sankt Johannis Printing Company started producing religious Advent calendars at the same time. These had Bible verses instead of pictures behind the doors.

During World War II the German government rationed cardboard and outlawed making Calendars with pictures. After the war, the German Richard Sellmer resumed the printing of Advent Calendars.

A Christmas Tree
Advent Calendar

Click on a number to see a special photo.

A Chrismon mosaic

This Chrismon photo mosaic has 25 squares, so it could be the basis for an Advent Calendar.

To make an Advent calendar:

  1. Print the photo (the larger the size the better it will operate as an Advant Calendar).
  2. Cut "windows" in a second piece of heavy paper so that they will open where each photo is.
  3. Overlay the photo with the "windows" piece of heavy paper and fix in place (glue, tape, or similar).
  4. Mark the windows 1 through 25.
  5. shut the windows (by tape or by another less damaging method).
A Chrismon mosaic

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[new 11/21/2009]