| Advent calendars were first used in the 19th | | | | "The Little Town". The calendar had pictures |
| century by protestants in Germany who simply | | | | of many buildings in the town and you would |
| made chalk lines on a door or other surface | | | | open the windows and the doors to find nice |
| to count down the days until Christmas. | | | | things underneath for each day of advent. |
| | | | They also produced a very popular lamp shade |
| The first printed advent calendar was made by | | | | advent calendar that would fit any lamp and |
| Gerhard Lang in Germany in 1908. His mother | | | | would revolve under heat with 24 windows to |
| made him a simple advent calendar when he was | | | | open. A Carols Calendar was created with a |
| a child to count down the days until | | | | carol for each day of advent. In 1954 they |
| Christmas. She put 24 small pieces of candy | | | | produced the White House calendar with the |
| on a piece of cardboard. Each day Gerhard | | | | scenery of the White House in Washington. |
| would take a piece of candy. The first | | | | They then produced many varieties of pull out |
| calendar he produced did not have windows. It | | | | advent calendars. |
| had colored pictures attached to a piece of | | | | |
| cardboard for each day of advent. Later, | | | | Today, the most typical advent calendar is |
| little doors were added to open each day for | | | | printed on cardboard with twenty four small |
| a religious picture or verse or a piece of | | | | doors. These calendars have many themes |
| candy. | | | | from religious ones with Mary and Joseph |
| | | | traveling to the stable, nativity scenes, |
| The german advent calendars were not produced | | | | church scenes, Bethlehem, winter wonderland |
| during World War II because of rationing of | | | | and many more. A Santa stocking advent |
| cardboard. In 1946. Richard Sellmer started | | | | calendar offers a different idea. The |
| producing the advent calendars again in | | | | stocking has a picture of a Christmas tree on |
| Germany. He had to receive a printing | | | | it and you hang an ornament on the tree on |
| license from the U.S. Military and the paper | | | | each day of Advent. Fontanini makes a |
| he used had to be purchased in the U.S. | | | | magnetic advent calendar that can be put on |
| military zone. These calendars were made by | | | | the refrigerator. Different figures from the |
| hand in those days. The advent calendars | | | | nativity scene are placed on the refrigerator |
| started selling in the United States in 1950 | | | | each day. There is even a garden lovers |
| and became very popular. | | | | advent calendar collages with a beautiful |
| | | | painting of a flower in each window. |
| Sellmer's first advent calendar was called | | | | |