Advent calendars have become a popular Christmas tradition for many individuals. Although advent calendars have changed through the years, both the original and modern advent calendars have the same goal: to count down to Christmas.

The advent calendar originated in 19th century Germany. The tradition started by lighting candles but then shifted to hanging a religious image every day leading up to Christmas. The photos were not printed until the early 20th century, but during the Nazi rule, the printing of advent calendars was banned.

In the 1950s, the next type of advent calendar arose filled with chocolates. During this time, advent calendars began to spread worldwide. President Eisenhower opened an advent calendar with his grandchildren, which led to its popularity in the United States.

Now, a new shift in advent calendars is arising with non-chocolate calendars. Some of the most popular are calendars containing beauty products or toys. We will just have to wait and see if this trend truly sticks.