Dating back during the 19th century, counting the days till Christmas was not made on printed calendar with pretty Santa Claus complete with chocolate, instead tracking the days down was made through the use of a chalk line on the front door or a burning candle to indicate the days until Christmas. It is in this fashion, that a Christmas advent calendar was created.

In 1908, Gerhard Lang printed the first advent calendar at his office in Munich, Germany. Since then, Advent Calendars became a saleable item and were being produced in volumes. By 1950's chocolate advent calendars were on the shelves of every local store to purchase and as expected became a hit not only for grown-ups but for kids as well.

Presently, advent calendars are still popular when Christmas season comes. There are several collections of advent calendars to choose from, everything from the children's much loved cartoon characters – like Barbie Dolls and the likes - to the sparkly Santa Clause and the famous Christmas icon – Mr. Snowman. Modern chocolate advent calendar has usually 25 boxes to open – representing each day until the eve of Christmas. Each box contains a single chocolate in various forms. Some contains the shape of Santa Claus, snowflakes, a reindeer, a star, while others were shaped as snowman, which keeps children more interested in the Christmas countdown.

Christmas advent calendars may vary from the most simple to the most elegant, depending on the buyer's preference. Kids tend to get attracted to the modern advent calendars that are filled with milk chocolate goodies and sweets, while adults lean towards sophistication like Praline, Dark Chocolates, or White Chocolates and can be bought from almost all candy shops and chocolate stores.

Advent calendars are available on display in most shops as early as October. However, because of its high demand, it is advisable that you buy one before December starts, since they tend to sell out really fast. One option though is to purchase it online and have it delivered straight to your door. Some can give you bigger discounts. What's more, you can choose from a wide array and compare prices without having to hop from one store to another, making you save time, effort, and money.

Christmas advent calendars don't have to have chocolates in it. There are some that contains a nice note behind every window. A wooden or magnetic one is also available and is a very good alternative to the chocolate one, since it can be reused for the next year.

Another option would be to have a photo of your loved-one enlarged and have it fashioned into an advent calendar, or instead of putting chocolates, you may put a photo of every family member behind every door.

Christmas advent calendar can also be an excellent pre-Christmas present. A homemade one with photos of every family member behind each window would surely be a delight for grandfathers and grandmothers. Seeing their sons, daughters, and grandkids behind every door will surely bring joy and warmth.