Get in on the Christmas spirit with an Advent calendar

Tatjana Chen and her daughter Victoria , 7, have been following the ritual of having an advent calendar since she was three-years-old. Pic/Atul Kamble

Given the online chatter about the fancy Advent calendars by fashion houses Dior and Chanel, you must be as enamoured by them as we are. The Dior one, priced at $3,500 (nearly Rs 3 lakh), is designed by artist Pietro Ruffo, and each of the 24 doors hold luxurious offerings such as the J'adore Eau de Parfum and the Rouge Dior 999 velvet finish lipstick - a far cry from the original calendars that hold mostly chocolates.

Chef Raveena Turani gifting her friend Shaan Khanna a book advent calendar

Tatjana Chen, a Mumbai-resident of German origin, wanted to introduce her daughter Victoria to the tradition. "In Germany," she says, "Most kids have one; it's easily available in stores. Here, I had to make one in the beginning. Lately, my parents bring one with them, and I fill it with different things every year." Chen started the ritual when her daughter was three; Victoria is now 7 years old and her Advent calendars have surprised her with marbles, pencils, and even held hints to bigger gifts waiting under the tree. "So that note would say, ‘Open this gift on a particular December morning, and a particular time'," says Chen.

Chef Raveena Taurani, founder of Yogisattva, uses Advent calendars to thank friends. "My friend and I share a love for motivational books and stories, so I made an Advent book calendar. It was personalised to her taste: A book a day," says Taurani, who feels the calendar can come to the rescue at times when gifting ideas get restricted to boring options such as socks or candy canes. "These are not personalised," she says. "It's very unique to the recipient, and feels warmer."

At the Andheri bakery Tojours, chef Alpa Perreira says that she fell in love with the concept on international trips. She loves counting down to Christmas with a little surprise every day. "I thought it would be a good idea to introduce to the Mumbai market, and allow customers to create their own tradition," she says. The Tojours calendar offers a different type of chocolate every day up to December 24. "There are soft-centered pralines, solid Belgian chocolate squares in dark, milk, white and gold chocolate, as well as Biscoff biscuits coated in Belgian chocolate," she says. "We were one of the first to start the chocolate Advent calendar so it has been quite a process to explain the concept to packaging manufacturers. It took months to get the look we envisioned, but it has been worth it as we have received a fantastic feedback."

What's an Advent calendar?

The chocolate advent calendar by Tojours

An Advent calendar is used to count the days before the arrival of Christmas, starting four to six Sundays ahead. It is a period of 24 to 40 days celebrated by various factions of Christianity as the month of Advent (which is Latin for Arrival). Traditional Advent calendars feature the manger or nativity scene where Jesus was born, and/or Saint Nicholas. Traditional Advent calendars are simple ones made of paper, with flaps covering each day and date until Christmas Eve (December 24) or Christmas Day.