I hope you’ve been keeping an eye on the Weather Channel lately! Especially if you’re a fellow New Englander, we are receiving lots of snow. It was barely another inch of dusting last night, but it did make the roads slippery. I have yet to install snow tires on my car, which is not very smart! But my goodness, the snow makes our neighborhood very festive! My neighbor across the street has draped pretty white lights around their front door, and it’s fun to look at through my living room windows.
When England’s Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840, the handsome German royal brought with him some wonderful traditions from his native country. Setting up a Christmas tree and putting packages beneath is a German custom, as is following the fun Advent Calendar. Both of these practices have become part of the holiday celebrations, with the Advent Calendar being one that is particularly amusing.
The origin of the Advent Calendar can be traced back to the 19th century. Religious families made a chalk line for every day in December until Christmas Eve. The first known handmade calendar dates from 1851. But the colorful cardboard ones are from one hundred years later, in the 1950’s. The original scenes are very pretty, with idyllic snow-covered Swiss chalets, little towns, and special religious paintings. Behind the little doors, you might read a Bible verse or see a tiny hand-drawn picture. There are only twelve days to go – we’re halfway through the countdown already!
Did you know that World War II stopped the printing of Advent Calendars? The cardboard was one of the items that were rationed. Thankfully, production started up again in 1946, as soon as the war was over. Do you know what other items were rationed during World War II? Take a look at a list here. Hmmm – I think chocolate, butter, sugar, and flour were on that list. It’s a little difficult to make Christmas cookies without those ingredients! If you can, ask Grandma and Grandpa what Christmas was like during the war. It might put current holiday craziness in perspective!
These days, Advent Calendars are a fun family-centered tradition that kids especially love. It’s fun to open the little doors (or drawers) and either take out a special treat to eat or smile at the little picture. If you are handy with a needle and thread, then a homemade calendar would be cute, with little pockets to hold various trinkets. Or, test your knowledge of other cultures with this online version. And hey, who says the calendar is for Christmas, only? It might be fun to countdown to a special vacation, a milestone birthday, or the last day of school!
Our fabric Christmas Tree Advent Calendar has 24 little pockets for ornaments, and they stick on the tree with Velcro. By now, you should have twelve ornaments on the tree. Have you set up and trimmed your full-size Christmas tree, yet? We always had way more than twelve ornaments on ours!
Thank you for gift shopping with Sturbridge Yankee Workshop this holiday season!
Comments