Advent Calendars!

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is the Advent Calendar! My Grandmother Driscoll would always send one down and I always loved opening the little doors to see what was inside! Sometimes the door revealed a Holiday Picture or sometimes, there was a chocolate hiding inside!

I love the three dimesional aspects of this one! So many chances for hiding special treats!

And don't you just love the colors on this calendar? So whimsical, while still festive!

As I have gotten older, I have learned that a lot of people do not even know what an Advent Calendar is!

So here you go! An Advent calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Some calendars are strictly religious, whereas others are secular in content. Despite the name, most commercially available Advent calendars begin on December 1, regardless of when Advent begins, which can be as early as November 27 and as late as December 3.Today, most Advent calendars are made for children. Many take the form of a large rectangular card with "windows" of which there are often 24; one for each day of December leading up to Christmas Day. One is opened every day during Advent. In many of these calendars, each window opens to reveal an image, a poem, or a portion of a story such as the story of the Nativity of Jesus. More elaborate Advent calendars have a small gift concealed in each window, such as a toy or a chocolate item.

I love how may different variations of Advent Calendars there are! Look at the Advent Calendar bags above! Wouldn't it be so much fun to look in a new bag everyday and get a special present?!? I might have to use this idea in a couple of years!

These wooden boxes would be so much fun to hide trinkets or candy inside!

And last, but not least the traditional paper calendar. This is the style I remember getting the most as a child. So simple and so fun. I can't wait to start this tradition with my Little One!