Advent Calendar

Advent Calendar. Advent is the four week period prior to Christmas. The idea of the Advent calendar is a German tradition. When I was little and lived in Germany we had a calendar that had little flaps that opened each day to reveal a hidden Christmas picture. It was a fun way to count down to Christmas. When my daughter was younger her first Advent calendar revealed a piece of chocolate each day. When she was a little older she had an Advent calendar with little pockets. Each day there would be a small trinket, candy or note about a fun Christmas activity we could do together. Today I have my favorite Advent calendar of all. It consists of Santa and a small candy cane that gets moved over to the next pocket as the count down to Christmas continues. No candy, no toys, just the anticipation of the coming holiday. I think the anticipation is what makes the Advent calendar so much fun. I once read that for some people the anticipation of the event brings as much enjoyment as the event itself. I find 
this to be true for me.