History
The advent calendar came to us from Europe, where it refers to the main symbols of the pre-Christmas period. This unusual calendar serves as a kind of “counter” of the days left until Christmas. As you know, Catholic Christmas falls on December 25th. Therefore, there are only 24 “windows” in the Advent calendar – from December 1st to Christmas Eve.
The advent calendar appeared in Germany in the 19th century thanks to the curiosity of little Gerhard. The boy could not wait for Christmas and pestered his mother with questions. What was to be done? It is not easy for children to understand what “the day after tomorrow” or “in a week” means. Children’s time is now. Gerhard’s mother, Frau Lang, figured out how to help her son. She made a calendar with 24 cardboard doors. Only one door could be opened each day. So every day and with every open door, the holiday was getting closer. A surprise was hidden behind each door – a cookie to sweeten the waiting time for a little why. The boy liked this gift so much that when he grew up, he started serial production of advent calendars.
Today, advent calendars are loved by both adults and children. Such a surprise will be a pleasure to receive your relatives and friends. It’s never too late to give an advent calendar. It’s okay if you didn’t have time by the beginning of December: give the calendar a little later and then your friend will count down the days until the New Year or until Christmas in Russia.
There are no clear rules on how the advent calendar should look like. Among the design options: smart bags, houses, socks, envelopes, bundles, boxes. Let your imagination run wild or get inspired by Pinterest collections. Decorated containers are traditionally filled with sweets.
Alternative
The mass market offers a huge number of ready-made advent calendars for every taste and color. As a rule, these are candy-chocolate calendars or cosmetic sets for girls. You can resort to ready-made solutions, but in order for the gift to be truly unique and memorable, we advise you to make such a calendar yourself. There are calendar tutorials on Pinterest and YouTube.
I would like to approach the choice of “filling” consciously and not fill the calendar with empty sweets or unnecessary souvenirs in the form of a symbol of the year.
We have compiled an alternative selection of things for the advent calendar. These gifts will pleasantly please a person who leads a conscious lifestyle, who cares about his health and the preservation of the environment. If among your loved ones there are people who are interested in vegetarianism, environmental movements, but have not yet decided on cardinal changes in their lives, such a calendar will come in handy. He will show that changes do not always have to be global, and it is always better to start with small, feasible steps.
Care products
It was customary that cosmetic sets are considered a universal gift for the New Year. A gift with which you do not have to “bother” because it is already assembled and packaged in the store. But, admit it to yourself, would you like to receive such a present? Such sets are of the same type, they contain standard repetitive positions, there is no unique message and care for the addressee. With a conscious approach, it is important to listen carefully and note what your loved one wants, which cream is over and which brand you would like to try. Natural cosmetics are rarely found in offline stores in small towns. You can order products in advance through online stores where products from different companies are collected or directly through the website of your chosen cosmetic brand. When introducing a friend to natural cosmetics, choose products from several brands. For the advent calendar, something compact but useful is suitable, for example, lip balm, caring hand cream with vitamins and calendula extract, olive oil-based bar soap for soft skin, anti-stress face mask made from natural ingredients, soothing and nourishing the skin.
zero waste
This is a concept whose idea is to reduce the waste we produce. It is achieved through the use of reusable items, recycling of garbage, rejection of products that cannot be recycled. It is especially important for a person leading an environmentally responsible lifestyle that unnecessary and impractical things do not appear in it. What can be presented to the follower of the zero waste movement?
Eco bags are an alternative to “free” bags from the supermarket. Free for buyers, they cause great harm to nature. Eco-bags can be sewn independently from organza, veil, tulle or tulle. They are easy to wash, dry quickly and do not absorb dirt. You can order bags from needlewomen. For example, through a group on social networks “”. There you can find a master from your region. In the group, you can also buy eco-bags – they are convenient to carry purchases from the store. You can give the bag a personality by writing a phrase on it or embroider a message for a friend to whom it is addressed. You can order string bags, reusable straws for drinks and bamboo toothbrushes in online stores that produce zerowaste products. If your friend is still a takeaway coffee lover, then a thermal mug would be the right gift. Disposable coffee cups are used for a few minutes, and then fly into the trash. Paper cups are covered with a thin layer of plastic on the inside. Upon contact with a hot drink, harmful substances are released that adversely affect human health. In addition, such dishes are not recyclable. Recently in Indonesia, on the coast, in whose stomach, in addition to other debris, 115 plastic cups were found. Thanks to the movement in major cities of the country, you can take coffee to go at a significant discount if you come with your own thermal mug. The project website contains a map of coffee shops, where you will definitely not be refused and they will pour an invigorating drink into your container.
Food
We suggest replacing store-bought sweets traditional for Advent calendars with healthy nuts and dried fruits. Such a surprise will not only please your friends, but will also benefit your health. See for yourself: delicious royal dates are high in fiber, prunes fight osteoporosis and heart pathologies, dried apricots remove toxins and toxins from the body, and figs contain antioxidants, and it also has a beneficial effect on the digestive system. To make breakfasts of your loved ones tastier and more varied, add urbech (a thick mass of nuts and seeds) or peanut butter to your calendar.
Many products can be found in health food stores. Fruit chips, healthy sweets without sugar, linen bread – all this can be done independently according to simple recipes from the Internet or in online stores.
Words
Sometimes something very personal is easier to write than to say. An advent calendar of warm messages will delight your partner for a whole month. Write about those shared memories and moments that are especially valuable to you. Tell us why you are grateful to your loved one, what you especially value in your relationship. One option is to print your favorite photos together and add a sweet caption to each one.
Watch outе
Popular wisdom says that “the main thing is not a gift, but attention.” What has your girlfriend been dreaming of for a long time, what concert does your grandmother want to go to, and how long has your mother had a massage? Give your loved ones something they often forget about – time for yourself.
Women in the hustle and bustle of days often have time to deal only with family affairs and work, and self-care is relegated to the background until health itself reminds of itself. Taking care of yourself, making time for your desires is wonderful. As a gift, a certificate to a hairdresser, a spa, a session with a good osteopath or a visit to a yoga class is suitable. Give a loved one a ticket to the premiere of the performance and share this pleasure with him, and then discuss what you saw over a cup of tea.