Interesting Origins of Our Favorite Christmas Traditions

Advent Calendars

Them: Why do you get tiny gifts every day leading up to the big gift day?

You: Because it’s fun, duh. But also of course there’s tradition behind it- Advent is a four-week period that starts on the Sunday closest to St. Andrew the Apostle’s 30 feast day. This religious event that has been celebrated for centuries and marks the period to prepare for Christmas and the Second Coming.

Advent Calendars

With the commercialization of Christmas, advent calendars were introduced in the early 1900s by Gerhard Lang, who was inspired by a calendar his mother made for him as a child that had 24 colored pictures attached to a piece of cardboard.