Advent Calendars and Tooth prevention

12/07/2017

You don't need an Advent calendar to know that Christmas is coming, but opening a little numbered door to reveal a prize is an idea that everyone – religious or not – can get behind. Here’s a brief history of Advent calendars .

What is Advent? Advent is the four-week period beginning on the Sunday nearest the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle (November 30) through the following three Sundays. Historians estimate that Advent, which derives from the Latin word for coming, has been celebrated since the fourth century. The period originally began as a time for converts to Christianity to prepare for baptism, but is now more commonly associated with the anticipation of the anniversary of Christ’s birth on December 25.

Advent Calendar Origins Advent calendars typically don’t follow the period of Advent described above. Instead, they begin on December 1 and mark the 24 days before Christmas. Today, most Advent calendars include paper doors that open to reveal an image, Bible verse, or piece of chocolate. The tradition dates to the mid-19th century, when German Protestants made chalk marks on doors or lit candles to count the days leading up to Christmas. 

The First Printed Advent Calendars Gerhard Lang is widely considered the producer of the first printed Advent calendar in the early 1900s. 

Around the same time, a German newspaper included an Advent calendar insert as a gift to its readers. Lang’s calendar was inspired by one that his mother had made for him and featured 24 colored pictures that attached to a piece of cardboard. Lang modified his calendars to include the little doors that are a staple of most Advent calendars today and they became a commercial success in Germany. Production stopped due to a cardboard shortage during World War II, but resumed soon after, with Richard Sellmer emerging as the leading producer of commercial Advent calendar

Advent calendars now come in all shapes and sizes and prize ranges but the majority of tem contain sugary treats so just bear a little thought for your teeth

Tooth decay is related to the number of times you expose your teeth to sugar not the amount so if you choose your moment in the day when to open your calendar you can have your fun without your teeth suffering. Immediately after a meal is the ideal time with the last thing  you do before you go to work, school or bed is brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste and spit don’t rinse !!

Have a great festive season.