This post is meant to inspire you with a fun and easy DIY Advent calendar!

It’s that time of year again: the build-up to the Christmas season.  My family gets very excited to celebrate the holidays and we like to get things started as soon as possible!

One easy way is to use an Advent calendar.  Advent calendars have their origin in the mid-19th century in Germany with the Lutherans who used to count down the days to Christmas with chalk marks or by lighting calendars. Gerhard Lang, a German child, was lucky enough to have his mother stick candy on a piece of cardboard for him to remove each day. Bible versus are featured on many versions as Advent calendars are meant to herald the ‘advent’ or ‘coming’ of Christmas.

Many articles I read credit President Eisenhower with popularizing Advent calendars in the US.  The commercialization of Advent calendars has taken away the true origin of the calendars and each year there are so many choices and creative varieties.  Reminding ourselves about the meaning of Advent calendars is important.

An article in Chatelaine Magazine did a great job showing all the Advent calendars you can buy, including ones from David’s Tea, The Body Shop and Starbucks as well as ones including make-up, beer (believe it), and pet treats!! These Advent calendars range in price from $12 to $250. Continue reading →