For those who celebrate Christmas, the advent calendar has become a staple part of the December household. Originating in early nineteenth century Germany, the advent calendar is born from the tradition of burning candles or marking the house with chalk to count down the days of Advent. It was only in 1851 that the first self-contained wooden advent calendar was built and even then it would take another 100 years before calendars filled with chocolate would spread worldwide. Personally, I can’t resist a bit of chocolate which may be why the month of December is the only time of year where I consistently know what day it is.
Yet, advent calendars can be an extremely versatile way to find happiness in the every day, a little pick me up amongst the stresses of Christmas shopping and present wrapping. But chocolate is in no way the only option. Some may like theirs to be picture-based, covered in Christmas trees and cute animals or for others they make like theirs to have a specific theme like the Lego calendar. You could even try out some DIY! Some of my favourites include creating a mindfulness calendar with each day offering a new prompt for a mindfulness-based task or a calendar that you can colour in yourself. Whatever kind of calendar you like, it can be a great opportunity to take some time out of your busy day and appreciate the wonder of Christmas.
