Advent calendars are one of the many Christmas traditions that are still at the heart of festive family celebrations today. The surest sign that Christmas is coming is the first chocolaty treat behind a little cardboard door on 1st December, no matter how old you are. As a retailer it is important to have your calendars available for sale well in advance of advent, so it is worth thinking about the styles you would like to stock.
Did you know that the traditions associated with the advent calendar go back 200 years? Let me take you on a journey from nineteenth-century Protestant Germany, through 1950s Birmingham, to the modern day.
Beginnings
It is thought that a calendar was first created to mark the days running up to Christmas in Germany during the nineteenth century. Protestant families drew a chalk line to count the days of advent until Christmas Eve.
It was a German manufacturer called Gerhard Lang who created the calendar design that we recognise today. His mother had made him a little cardboard calendar to count off the days before Christmas when he was a child. Lang took this concept and introduced it to the public in the early 1900s, adding touches such as the cardboard doors for each day which are a familiar feature of advent calendars in modern times.
A chocolate behind every door was first introduced by the Cadbury confectionery company in 1958. A dreary December day wouldn’t be the same without that one little delicious treat to lift your spirits.
Some Advent Suggestions
We have an extensive range of advent calendars at hf Chocolates this year which cater to all ages and tastes.
If it’s a classic children’s door-opener that your clients are after, this brightly coloured calendar from Montezuma has large numbers on each door to help with counting.
One of the most attractive aspects of the tradition is that it provides an opportunity for the whole family to get together and open a door. There are some brilliant advent calendars on the market which come with multiple treats every day, allowing more than one family member to indulge daily.
For example, Chocolotol’s wooden Santa calendar has sturdy drawers which come with three individually-wrapped chocolates each. This hanging calendar is just as much a Christmas decoration as a day-counter and is sold with enough chocolate balls for four in each bucket.
Christmas may be about sharing experiences (and chocolate!) with your loved ones, but these advent chocolate bars, available in large and small from Weibler, allow you a little daily treat for yourself. Another advent option for adults with scrumptious truffle and praline treats is this house-shaped Ko-Koá calendar for two to share.
Whatever the budget, age or need of your customer, you will be able to find a wholesale chocolate advent calendar option at hf Chocolates this Christmas.
Angelina Moufftard works for hf Chocolates, established confectionery wholesalers with decades of experience supplying advent calendars and myriad other Christmas sweets to retailers across the UK. Working with the most dedicated suppliers from France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, the USA and the UK, hf Chocolates' great tasting and beautifully packaged products add panache to any Christmas display.
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