Seeley Swan Pathfinder -

Deeply rooted in Christian tradition, the period of Advent marks four weeks of spiritual preparation for the commemoration of the birth of Jesus. Centuries later, the count-down calendars have spawned a myriad of plants that wander far from those religious roots.

Since the four weeks of Advent is a long stretch of time for young children to visualize, creative parents found simple ways to help their children count off the days. Chalking marks on a door or wall was popular in nineteenth century Germany. Another homegrown method was to construct a special calendar such as the one Andrew Lang...