OK, as the end of the year gets close, it’s time to start thinking about all those gift-giving opportunities that are also approaching…  While most of the gift guides will post closer to Thanksgiving and the weekend after, I wanted to start with this earlier post due to the time sensitive nature of Advent Calendars.  

Advent calendars are a well-entrenched tradition in Germany.  Each October when I head to Essen for SPIEL, the stores are already jammed packed with Advent calendars of all types.  The first printed Advent calendar originated in Germany in the early 20th century with Gerhard Lang. When Gerhard was a little boy his mother made him a calendar with 24 small candies attached to cardboard, one for each day before Christmas.  Lang grew up to operate the Reichhold & Lang printing company where he printed the first Advent cardboard calendar with 24 little pictures. A few years later, the company printed the first calendar with the little doors that everyone loves to open.  The first chocolate Advent calendar appeared in 1958, but it was in 1971 that Cadbury joined the race and launched its own version in the UK. Cadbury produced Advent calendars intermittently from 1972 to 1986, but it wasn’t until 1993 that they finally became a mainstay.

There’s still time to place and order and receive an Advent Calendar to start by December 1!

We’ve Reviewed a number of these calendars, so you can also click on the links to read those.

Gaming Advent Calendars  (to post real soon)

1. Exit – Mystery of the Ice Cave – https://amzn.to/3Oio6oo 
2. Exit – Hunt for the Golden Book – https://amzn.to/4i9daHo 
3. Exit – The Silent Storm – https://amzn.to/4eAMnR3 
4. Exit – Missing Hollywood Star – https://amzn.to/3XNrSu4 
5. Detective Escape Room Advent – https://amzn.to/4fQQ9Yh 
6. Escape Room Advent Calendar – https://amzn.to/4fRoaa8 

More coming in the next week or so!