Oh, the joy of happy anticipation of Christmas! Something of a luxury these days… The time before Christmas seems to fly by now but when I was a child it seemed to take ages. Advent calendars helped pass the wait – and they were ‘just’ images. By the time chocolate ones came into fashion it was a bit too late for me, I was a teenager by then and no longer really interested – interested in chocolate, yes, but not really in form of an advent calendar – it seemed too ‘childish’. But strange how childhood’s memories linger and how much they influence your taste as an adult. Here are 2 prime examples of what I think an advent calendar should be like.
On the first day: only St Nicholas is in the forest 
At the end: all angels & squirrel & moon have appeared
Originally published in 1934 (my copy is a reprint from 2011), illustrated by Dora Baum, this calendar starts on 6 December, as most advent calendars used to do (they were given as a present on that day (which is St Nicholas’ day in Germany). This is also rather special because instead of having windows, it allows you to slide the figures hidden behind the trees. More on the history of the Advent calendar in Germany (both in English and in German) at the German Christmas Museum.
I hope you are on a pink cloud/cloud 7 in anticipation of Christmas and getting into the spirit – Thanks for taking the time to look!
Beautiful find. RE-posted on twitter @trefology
Thank you so much!
Loving the Two Little Angels…. being someone who always prefers to sleep on a pink fluffy cloud…
Thank you – what a lovely thought!