History of Advent Calendars

NARRATOR: It's that time of year when children's eyes twinkle with wonder. Advent has arrived and Christmas is just around the corner. The lighting of the first candle on the Advent wreath officially marks the beginning of the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Johann Hinrich Wichern, a native of Hamburg, Germany, first started the custom around 1850. He had been taking in street children from the city's snow-covered streets around the harbor. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, he explained the miracle of Christ's birth to them by filling the shelter with just a little bit more candlelight than the day before.

THOMAS KRETSCHMAR: "The fascinating thing about it is that the candles are constant reminders of Jesus' words, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness.' And every time we light one of the Advent wreath's candles we are, of course, reminded that Jesus will see us through life's darkest hours."

NARRATOR: Apart from the candles bringing a little more light into life during Advent, there's also the magic of the spirit of Christmas, to awake each morning and open another door on the Advent calendar and perhaps even read a verse from the Bible. Since 1904, Advent calendars have been a fixture in any nursery.

ESTHER GAJEK: "The first printed Advent calendars consisted of little pictures children cut out and affix to the back. By the mid-20s, calendars were being made with doors that could actually open and shut; each contained a picture. It was also during this time that the Advent calendar underwent a significant change, and the first chocolate calendars were sold. This one here, the Apollo Advent calendar from 1972 is an oddball and true collector's item. Each day, the children would turn the rocket a notch more. The calendar bombed. And it's no wonder seeing as there's nothing about it that captures the magic of the traditional Advent calendar."

NARRATOR: This authority on Advent calendars has collected some 3,000 different ones. Each has its own story. Nonetheless, the first Advent calendar tends to be emblazoned in a child's memory as the most thrilling and magical.

GAJEK: "Many of the former owners of these Advent calendars used to press the doors back shut again when they were done with them. They'd reuse them every year and were spellbound by the pictures and how they'd recognize them. Some of them even passed them down to their children or grandchildren."

NARRATOR: And so every year, there is a sense of anticipation during Advent, as children eagerly count down the days until Christmas day.