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Full of traditions and excitement, Christmas is a truly special time of year. With a little treat for each day, advent calendars are definitely a highlight of the build up to Christmas. It’s hard to imagine Christmas without them! When you delve into the history of them, however, you find that advent calendars as we know them haven’t actually been around for that long.
Back in the 1800s across German-speaking Europe, whether in church or at home, families would pray and read scripture each day in the countdown to Christmas. Whilst this worked for grownups, it didn’t really hit the mark with children who didn’t really understand the tradition. Parents tried countless different methods to try and help their children appreciate the period of advent, with many variations highlighting the passing time and helping the little ones count the days. Some tried hanging a themed picture in the window every day, whilst others drew chalk lines on the wall and wiped them off one day at a time. There were even advent trees, which featured a different flag and bible verse each day. One of the most popular, however, was the advent clock. As each day passed, users moved the clock hands one step closer to Christmas. These were first made widely available by an Austrian bookmaker in 1902, but we’re not counting them as the first advent calendars!
It is believed that the first ever advent calendar was made for Gerhard Lang some years before. In a bid to keep him on track with the advent period, his mother created a calendar on a piece of card and attached a sweet treat to each day. Young Gerhard loved it and he never forgot it! In 1908, all grown up and entrepreneurial, Gerhard began manufacturing his own version of the calendars. For unfathomable reasons he chose not to include any edible delights, opting for festive images hidden behind little doors instead. He did mass produce the first advent calendar that paved the way for the ones we know and love today, so we can’t be too hard on him!
Despite the fact that his company collapsed in 1930, the idea had already caught on and advent calendars were hugely popular all across Germany. Depictions of Christmastime made way for more traditional bible verses, but the advent calendar lived on until the Second World War when printing religious content was banned. After the war, though, one Richard Sellmer reintroduced them not only in Germany but further afield, too! The company still makes traditional advent calendars today, as well as some with chocolate. You can even order a reprint of the initial calendar from 1945!
It seems that chocolate was first added to advent calendars throughout the 1950s but miraculously, it didn’t catch on. Even an advent calendar with pieces of Cadbury chocolate behind the windows didn’t stick right away! In 1971, the famous Birmingham-born chocolate giant introduced their first advent calendar, but they weren’t popular enough to justify permanent production until the 1990s – in 1993 to be exact! But, from then on, advent calendars have never looked back.
Over recent years, the choice of advent calendars has grown exponentially, with versions that cater not only to children, but to all ages and tastes! Today you’ll not only find chocolate advent calendars, but popular sweets, chocolate liqueurs, and much more! Everyone is getting in on the action nowadays, which means the advent calendar world can get wild.
With options such as aged whiskeys, jewellery and high-end fashion brands, there are advent calendars available for any budget! For example, this year’s most expensive calendar in the UK comes courtesy of C.W. Sellors. The near £22,000 advent calendar comes in a spectacular case in the image of Chatsworth House, this advent calendar includes a range of jewellery that ends with a Faberge necklace on Christmas Eve. But recently there have been even more extravagant options. One striking example was recent years is the $1million Porsche advent calendars. Sent to flagship stores in five continents, these included everything from a pen and cufflinks to a kitchen and a speedboat. It didn’t include a car though…
Here at Wholesale Sweets, we’ve got you covered with the tastiest selection of advent calendars. From popular American choices like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Advent Calendar to the Candy Kittens Gourmet Sweets Advent Tree which is filled with delicious vegan sweets, there is something for everyone! Our Christmas range also includes everything from candy canes and Christmas tree decorations to selection boxes. So, we have stock that can help whether you’re filling Christmas stockings or decking the halls!
