Time For Advent Calendars!

Oh, boy, the big day will be here soon. The countdown is on for Christmas and advent calendars are popping up everywhere. These are the calendars that kids love because they include a hidden treat or toy behind every day of the week from the first of December right up to Christmas Eve. Hi everyone, Zulah Talmadge with you for The Shady Pines Gazette News. Now that Thanksgiving is in our rear view mirror the holiday season is in full gear.  

What Is The Season of Advent?

Do you know about the Season of Advent and the reason why these calendars are fun for kids and adults alike? Let’s start at the beginning. Traditionally, the Season of Advent begins on the final Sunday in November and lasts into that third week in December.

It has been seen by Christians around the world as a way to get ready for the coming birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. That’s why each day on an Avent Calendar is its own celebration to reflect the joy and hope of this very special season. You also may even see Avent Wreaths with four or five purple, pink and white candles. Like the calendars, these wreaths are also used to symbolize a scared time of year. Each candle has a separate meaning.

Typically, during the Season of Advent, one candle on the wreath is lit each Sunday as a part of Sunday church services. But you don’t have to be a practicing Christian to honor the spirit of Advent. The Advent Calender started in the mid-19th century when Germans marked the countdown to Christmas with chalk marks on doors or by lighting a candle.

Advent Calendars Are All Different

These days, most Advent Calendars have numbered paper doors or pockets that open to reveal an image, chocolate or other small object. Some of the folks here in Shady Pines Story Town will hide messages of kindness, caring and love behind those colorful doors.

There is no one way to make a calendar. They look as different as the people who create them. For instance, a long time ago you might have seen a really old fashioned calendar that looks like your great, great, grandmother might have made it. 

These days, there all kinds of Advent Calendars you can buy or make for yourself. But one thing remains the same. These holiday calendars are fun. And just like the spiritual theme of the season, they offer anticipation, hope and joy of discovery.

How to Use an Advent Calendar

Best of all, for parents, it’s something  you can use to keep the kids busy and a way to promote conversation around issues you might want to discuss.

We did a story for The Gazette not long ago about parents and grandparents who are concerned that kids are more focused on getting toys, video games and stuff for Christmas, rather than what they can do for others in need.

It’s normal for kids to get so excited while wating for Christmas to arrive. But, in 2020 with many of our neighbors going through hard times, consider using an Advent Calendar to focus those young people in your life on what you and your family values most.

That’s what we try to do each and every day here in the small Southern town of Shady Pines!