I am 24 and still have an advent calender every year. I like having a traditional non chocolate pretty calender.
How old are you, and do you still have an advent calender? If not, why and at what age did you stop buying one?
I stopped getting them a few years back. Couldn’t stomach the waxy chocolate anymore. Now I see Starbucks makes a truffle-a-day one… pretty much the complete opposite of staying in shape during the holidays to offset party and dinner gorging. I might get one.
My children have them. One was made by my great-grandmother, the other my mom gave my son. They both have small pockets for little gifts. I love the idea, but well, it’s December 1 and I have yet to buy anything to go in them!
A truffle-a-day advent calendar?! I’m not Christian, but I celebrate a secular Christmas and I love advent calendars. I always get a chocolate one with Santas and reindeer, etc., but my kids get to be the ones to eat the chocolate. It’s a fun way to count down to the big day. This year, I might get them one of the calendars they’re used to and get a truffle one for myself!
I have a little 12" high Advent Christmas tree on a base with little drawers in it. Each drawer has a tiny decoration in it. So that is my advent calendar. I haven’t used it in a few years, but think I will get it out tonight. My son will enjoy finding the little ornaments each night. I think I got it from Avon.
It is not religious at all. But I have had religious Advent calendars too.
I am a big fan of the reusable ones like some posters are describing, but my husband always buys the paper ones. They’re still fun, though.
I’m not Christian either, but darned if I didn’t always want one. How do you ask for one, though, from your atheist, secular, or even your Christian friends? “Uh…I want the chocolate.” I guess I should just go buy one. 
My dad, a minister, sends one to each household containing his grand or step-grandchildren. He gets a package of them from a church supply store; they contain no delicious chocolate. My son, in the past, has tossed it over his shoulder in dismissal and ripped it. Now I just tell him, “oh, it’s Papa’s Christmas calendar” and he continues watching wrestling.
Why don’t you get a non-chocolate calender?!
You should! No matter how crappy your day is otherwise, you have at least one moment that contains a welcome surprise. How bad could that be?
I’m not a Christian either, but I love having that little moment of joy each day when finding out what the picture behind the door is.
We have the most fabulous advent calendar I’ve ever seen. My parents bought for my children two years ago.
It’s roughly 2’ wide and almost as tall and about 3" deep, shaped like a house, with a 3D nativity scene on it. Each item in the nativity scene (sheep, people, stars, trees, etc.) is part of a door concealing a small cubby.
Oh, I found a pictureof it!
Each Nov. 31st the girls leave the calendar out overnight and it “magically” becomes full of candies and small trinkets. They suspect Santa does the filling.
This morning they each got a Christmas themed finger puppet. Also in the calendar this year are mini peanut butter cups, Rollos, Hello Kitty socks, punching balloons, lip balm, hair bows, small jars of PlayDoh, and tiny wind-up toys.
They get such a kick out of opening a door each morning that it makes for 24 mini Christmases all through December.
That is soo cool! I’d like to do that for my children when I’m older.
And here I always thought I was born on the last day of November, the 30th. 
Right. . . this was a, um, leap November. Yeah, that’s it.
Oh, and happy belated birthday!
I love Advent calendars. We have two right now–one with pockets for treats and one with stickers. I’m not big on the chocolate ones, really; I like pictures or figures best. When I was a kid, my mom had the best one ever, with tiny figures–they looked carved but were really plastic–that made a Nativity scene. It was vaguely Renaissance-looking and had a whole gallery of angels playing different musical instruments. Unfortunately most of them got lost.
This is the first time in several years we haven’t had an Advent candle, too, with markings that you burn down every day. it’s a Danish thing. I haven’t been able to find any lately, but I hope to get some for next year. (These aren’t the purple/pink wreath ones, but are marked 1-24.)
I used to sell those things in high school as a fundraiser for the German Club. Ah, how I miss opening those little chocolates, a different calendar each day…
I’m 59, and just bought TWO (one for myself, one for the current SO). It’s been a few years … but I’ve always loved them albeit being raised atheist, with missionary great-grandparents! What a mix.
Not a calendar. We have an Advent wreath instead.
When we were kids, we had an advent calendar made by my aunt. It’s a felt tree on fabric, with felt pieces to snap on. All three of us kids used to argue about who got to put up the star (12/1) and who got to put up the baby Jesus (12/24). We also used to sneak down at 12:01 am, and put up pieces. Or chase each other around the house to get to the pieces. My sister also used to reorganize the pieces once they were on the tree, so they didn’t touch each other.
A few years ago my aunt made all of us “kids” (cousins) advent calendars of our own, same as what we had growing up. We also now have a specific order of what pieces go up on what date, whereas we used to free-hand it before.
Susan