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There's something magical about opening the doors of an Advent Calendar that makes the tiny chocolates behind them taste so much better. Until recently, it was a pleasure most often reserved for children, but things are changing, with many adults also looking forward to December to count down the days until Christmas.
Advent Calendars have become a staple of many households over the last few decades, but they have a much longer history.
Dr Madeline Shanahan, a food historian and author of Christmas Food and Feasting: A History, explains: "It's something we see consistently in the history of Christmas; some things seem new, but they actually have quite ancient roots."
The tradition of Advent
Advent is the period of preparation for the celebration of Jesus Christ's birth and the Second Coming (return of Christ). During this season, Christians historically fast and pray, and traditions include Advent wreaths, candles and calendars.
Handmade Advent Calendars are thought to have arisen in the 19th century, but the first commercialised calendars were reported in Germany in the early 20th century.
Gerwurzhaus' Greek-themed spice-filled Advent Calendar. Credit: Amy Whitfield
"When my mum was a child, her Advent Calendars were made of paper. There were little paper doors you could open with little pictures behind them," she tells SBS Food.
Finally, chocolate
The first chocolate Advent Calendars are believed to have come about in the 1950s. Cadbury created its first Advent Calendar in 1971, but it was not until the 1990s that chocolate Advent Calendars really took off around the world.
Cadbury released a 3D chocolate Advent Calendar in 1996. Credit: Cadbury
It was incredibly exciting.
She also remembers enjoying them when she was a child. "We loved them. Most of my memories of them are from childhood. I'm one of three children, so we shared them. You had your day of the week, and everyone had a turn. It was incredibly exciting."
Beyond chocolate
While chocolate calendars are still common, you can now find some hiding cheese, tea, gin and marshmallows, as well as non-food items like fragrances and sex toys. The sky is the limit.
Candy-filled Advent calendar. Source: Moment RF / Getty Images
Calendars made of wood or fabric, which you can reuse and fill yourself with chocolate or other delicious goodies, are also popular. Konecsny fills the one she made herself for her children with lollies every year. "They're already giddy. This morning my son was asking, 'How many days until Christmas?' and 'How many days until the Advent calendar?' she says.
A shift in meaning
With time, and the creation of the calendar, the concept of Advent has changed. It still allows us to slow down, but it also kick-starts the celebrations earlier.
"It's not a time of reflection now, but a time of celebration and anticipation. That's why kids love them, every day you open this little door and are reminded that something is coming," concludes Shanahan. "The idea of a gin Advent calendar would have been so inappropriate to people marking a fast but once we became more secular around Christmas, why not?"
