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