Why is an Advent Calendar so special?

A typical Medici shaped Advent Calendar

As a child, my Aunt would be the one who brought us our Advent Calendars.

There was a shop called 'The Library & Music Shop', so called because it sold books and music ... I know, and they had Medici Cards.  The Medici Society was founded in 1908 as a publisher of art prints and cards and I always thought that Medici cards were obviously the poshest because people would talk about them with that hushed voice of reverence. 

​The Advent Calendar theme would always be either religious or feature Father Christmas and the numbers would appear non sequentially so you had to hunt the number that you were looking for.
Each window would open to a drawing with the final one, the 24th December showing the manger scene.  This always confused me because Christmas Day was the 25th.  Never did get to the bottom of that one.

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Advent calendars have their origins, as do many modern Christmas traditions, in Germany during the 19th Century.  Just like Christmas trees, we, here, in the UK, embraced them.

My mum worked for a lovely couple who were German / Austrian and one year they gave me an advent candle.  I liked sitting in the twilight and watching the candle burn down to the next number.

I treated a friend to one, as a present, one Christmas.  They lit it, and promptly forgot about it. 

​Well, as you can imagine, it burnt down, past the next day and a few more days. 

​All I got was a complaint from them that it was a waste of time. ​Perhaps, occasionally, traditions are wasted on some people!

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A big part of my childhood was the Christmas activities on Blue Peter. 

In particular, the Christmas Crown was the one thing I wanted to make.  Where on earth we would have put it, I have no idea.

​I was only recently that I found out that it was not introduced by John Noakes, rather it was first shown the year before I was born.

Want to make your own?  You can download the instructions here.

These days, you can have presents in your calendar. 

Hubby has a tea advent calendar.  ​It's a great way to try out different flavours and an excuse to take a little time for himself as he makes his cup of tea and sits and drinks it.

I have indulged in a chocolate advent calendar.  Rather than just gobbling the choccies as I do with other things, I'm going to take a moment, each afternoon, and sit and eat my daily truffle.  

​Now that is a form of mindfulness I can cope with.

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