Christmas Advent Calendars for Kids and Adults

Unique Wooden, Chocolate, and Toy Calendars to Count Down to Advent

Oct 14, 2009

From a wooden house advent calendar to decadent chocolate ones to the annual Lego advent calendar, here are some great ways to celebrate the 24 days of Christmas advent.

The advent calendar started in Germany at the beginning of the 19th century, where they were designed for counting down the days to the date of the birth of Christ. Each day a door of this Christmas countdown calendar is opened to reveal a small toy, a picture or a chocolate. Advent calendar ideas for the home can take all shapes and forms. Here are some great choices.

Wooden Advent Calendars

A wooden advent calendar is nice because it can be used again year after year and the compartments tend to be larger which means they can hold more candy or other items.

The Advent Calendar Cabinet from Ballard Designs is nice because it is a wood cabinet with 24 small drawers, and it can be hung on the wall on placed on a table. It has deep compartments, about 5” deep, so they can hold a lot, which is helpful if one advent calendar is providing for many children.

The House Advent Calendar from Pottery Barn Kids is a great one because it an actual wooden house with 25 doors and windows that open on all four sides. It is painted in festive green and red and the advent calendar house can even be personalized with the family name (a great personalized gift idea for a family) or a child’s first name.

A really unique wooden advent calendar is the Train Advent Calendar from L.L. Bean. This beautiful wooden three-car train has 24 compartments to hold candy, including trees on the middle car. It is quite large, so it can double as an attractive Christmas decoration for a sideboard or fireplace mantle.

Chocolate Advent Calendars

Basic chocolate advent calendars are available at any discount department store, grocery store or drug store and they are usually quite inexpensive. Higher end chocolate makers, such as Godiva, also put out advent chocolate calendars, typically available at select department stores or online.

A particularly decadent one is the Asbach Chocolate Advent Calendar, available at chocolate.com. This one is more for adults than children because it contains an assortment of brandy-filled chocolates (with traces of nuts). It would make a great hostess gift.

Toy Advent Calendars

Both Playmobil and Lego® offer advent calendars each year. These are great for kids because each daily compartment features a mini kit or figure to put together, like putting together a snowman or a Christmas tree. However, it is not an advent calendar that can be re-used year after year, but it is nice as an early Christmas gift for a child (not under age 5).

Fabric Advent Calendars

Fabric and felt advent calendars hang on the wall and usually require a fair amount of wall space, plus they must be hung low enough so children can reach it. The pockets are typically not as deep as the wooden ones.

The Snowman Fabric Advent Calendar from Vermont Christmas is a nice one. It even has a snowflake marker on a string to help kids remember which day of advent it is.

Every year there are a variety of new options for a Christmas Advent calendar available. Not only are they a fun way to countdown until Christmas, but Advent calendars also make a perfect gift if attending a holiday party.

The copyright of the article Christmas Advent Calendars for Kids and Adults in Holiday Entertaining is owned by Gail Oliver. Permission to republish Christmas Advent Calendars for Kids and Adults in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.