I had ones with pictures. My children keep getting ones with chocolates from their grandmother. I hate those. The last thing they need in December of all months is a daily dose of chocolate. This year I’m throwing them out, next year I’m warning granny in October not to buy them.
We used to have the picture or candy types when I was a child
I’m now in my second year with the Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar. My six year old loves it.
If I remember correctly, I didn’t have or even see the kind with chocolate until I was in high school (early 80s) and we sold them for German Club.
Never had one. I am curious, though - are these a “Catholic” thing? Apologies if I’m phrasing that badly. When I was growing up, the majority of my friends were not Catholic, and the few friends I had that were, were the only ones who had Advent Calendars.
Have the chocolates gotten bigger since I was a kid? I remember them being tiny pieces about the size of a postage stamp.
As a kid, in Chicago, in the 60s & early 70’s.
Never after.
Never really heard of them until I moved to Germany and they were everywhere, in all kinds of variations and forms:
- just with great illustrations.
- cheap(er) versions with chocolates.
- pricier versions with really, really good chocolate.
I knew a guy in Berlin who made a great one for his girlfriend - every day had a little gift note; bottle of wine one day, go out to dinner another day, cake on a another day, etc. and I think the last two were the “big gifts” - one was tickets to a big concert she wanted to see, and the last was two tickets for a vacation in Spain!
My parents always bought us one of the chocolate-a-day calendars when we were kids, possibly even until we were teenagers. I remember getting one of the flat picture-a-day calendars from somewhere, too (a cereal box? I forget).
Had one every year. I didn’t really miss it when my mom stopped buying me one because as scifisam says, the chocolate was always terrible.
not Christian here. No tree, no Advent calendar. We did have gifts, though.
Raised Jewish, so no.
First I ever heard of an Advent Calendar was when I watched Bad Santa. I still don’t get what the hell it is.
We always made them as a project in (public!) school back in the seventies. Usually they just had wrapped hard candies for every day. Then I always made a paper chain to pull at my grandparents’ house. God I haven’t thought of that in years! This gives me an idea for my little girl. 
I didn’t even know what the heck an Advent was until well into adulthood.
I’m not sure what category this is, but our treasured Advent calendar is one my godmother made in the 70s, which we’ve had as long as I can remember. It’s red burlap with a felt tree and a panel of felt pockets at the bottom, embroidered with the numbers of the days. The felt tree has snaps on it and each pocket holds a felt ornament to snap onto the tree. Day 25 is the star for the top of the tree.
Star
Papa stocking
Mama stocking
Brother’sName stocking
MyName stocking
teddy bear
wreath
candy cane
gift package
baby block
snowman
rabbit
round purple ornament
holly
poinsettia
vase of flowers
fish
Peace dove
gingerbread man
Santa head
drum
…the memory fails – which is nice because then there is still a surprise each year!
I come from a very Catholic family and still go to Mass every Sunday… but I’d never heard of Advent calendars until about 10 years ago. Perhaps it’s a regional thing.
Now, mite boxes for Lent are a different story!
The one I had as a kid had a Bible verse behind each door. And we reused the same paper one for YEARS. I believe it’s still kicking around my parents’ house somewhere.
Catholic here. I didn’t know they had chocolate ones until well into high school.
Other : Yes, but I don’t remember any specifics at all.
Grew up in West Texas. I never, ever heard of an Advent calendar until well into adulthood. I think the film Bad Santa was the first close look I ever had at one.