Advent calendar
The Advent calendar is a wonderful way for both children and adults to get in the mood for the most wonderful time of the year: Christmas! At Waldorfshop you will find many different Advent calendars for all ages and tastes. You will also find all the materials you need to design and fill an Advent calendar yourself.
- Organic cotton bagmemo | bag made of organic cotton | bag made of 100 % organic cotton | bag for Advent calendar | Dimensions: H 14 cm x W 10 cm Beautiful light-coloured bags made from 100% organic cotton, perfect for a homemade advent calendar.In stockEUR 1.50 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- Advent calendar: Search with me for the right doorEva-Maria Ott-Heidmann An Advent calendar to put up or hang up with 47 doors to open! An Advent calendar to put up or hang up with 47 doors to open!In stockEUR 14.90 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- -20 %Advent calendar: Winter sceneUrachhaus | Advent Calendar: Winter Scene | Advent Calendar Advent calendar This calendar has twice as many doors as the conventional Advent calendars (with one exception: Christmas Eve), i.e. 47 doors.In stockRRP EUR 14.90EUR 11.92 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- Wonder nut, gold or silverStein Manufaktur | miracle nut, gold or silver | walnut, filled | with a semi-precious stone | colour: gold or silver filled Walnut in gold or silver, filled with a small semi-precious stone, as a small surprise or gift, to fill the Advent calendar or as a small present.In stockEUR 2.00 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- -20 %waldorfkind - Advent Calendar: "Children in the SnowElla Lapointe | waldorfkind - Advent calendar: "Children in the snow" | by Ella Manor Lapointe by Ella Manor LapointeIn stockRRP EUR 6.90EUR 5.52 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- -20 %Advent calendar: Surprise nutsStein Manufaktur | Advent calendar: Surprise nuts 24 filled walnuts 1 bag with 24 filled walnuts, 2 gold, 2 silver, 20 natural.In stockRRP EUR 32.50EUR 26.00 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- -20 %Number stickersWaldorf Child | number stickers | golden number stickers 1- 24 | on blue background | for DIY Advent calendar Numbers 1- 24 For a self-made Advent calendar.In stockRRP EUR 3.00EUR 2.40 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- Advent calendar: Advent gardeningKraul | Advent calendar: Advent garden | from 2 years old Ø 43,5 cm Round Advent calendar with 24 doors, lovingly illustratedCurrently not availableEUR 10.00 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- Matchboxes, blankFolia | Matchboxes, blank | without rubbing surface | for individual design | for an Advent calendar | Contents: 10 pieces without grating surface 10 boxes for individual design of an advent calendar or as small gift boxes.In stockEUR 4.30 *10 piece | EUR 0.43 / piece* Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- -20 %Advent Calendar "Merlind, the Little SorceressDrescher, Daniela 46 x 40 cm Merlind, the little sorceress, and Igor, the dragon, have their hands full, preparing their home for Advent and Christmas.In stockRRP EUR 14.90EUR 11.92 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- -20 %Advent calendar: The little elf celebrates ChristmasDaniela Drescher The little elf enchants everyone's hearts at Christmas too.In stockRRP EUR 14.90EUR 11.92 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- -20 %Advent Calendar Elf AdventUrachhaus | Advent Calendar Elf Advent | Daniela Drescher | 44 x 44 cm Daniela Drescher Thanks to Daniela Drescher's pictures, the wait for the big moment becomes an event for young and old.In stockRRP EUR 14.90EUR 11.92 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- -20 %Advent calendar: Pippa and PelleUrachhaus | Advent Calendar: Pippa and Pelle | Drescher | 46 x 33 cm 46 x 33 cm A celebration for the friends of Pippa and Pelle, with enchanting details guaranteed on every day. A gift for young and old!In stockRRP EUR 14.90EUR 11.92 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- Advent Calendar DwarfsKarin Haslinger with 24 doors Picture advent calendar with 24 doors children can open a door every day until Christmas.Currently not availableEUR 9.90 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- Advent calendar: Christmas in the forestArt and Book Dispatch | Advent Calendar: Christmas in the Woods | 50 x 50 cm 50 x 50 cmCurrently not availableEUR 28.00 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- Advent calendar: Mary's little donkeyRaffael Verlag | Advent calendar: Maria's little donkey | Picture calendar | Illustrator: Angela Koconda | 24 doors 31 x 47 cm Marias kleiner Esel, children's Advent calendar, accompanying the book "Marias kleiner Esel" by G. Sehlin, 24 doors.Currently not availableEUR 11.50 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- Advent calendar anticipation in the dwarf forestAdvent calendar with 37 doors Johanna Schneider Advent calendar with 37 doors, from 1 December to 6 January the doors can be opened to accompany the child throughout the Christmas season.Currently not availableEUR 10.90 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- -20 %Advent Calendar: The Shepherd Boy and the ChildJ. Ch. Mellinger Verlag | Advent calendar: The shepherd boy and the child | with 24 doors 24 little doors The book "The Shepherd Boy and the Child" to go with the Advent calendar.In stockRRP EUR 10.90EUR 8.72 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- Advent calendar with 24 doorsAdvent Calendar Winter Forest | Ruth Elsässer | Mellinger Verlag Ruth ElsässerCurrently not availableEUR 9.90 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- Advent calendar with stars to put downKraul | Advent calendar with stars to put down | from 0 years oldCurrently not availableEUR 5.50 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- -20 %Advent Calendar Christmas MarketJ. Ch. Mellinger Verlag | Advent calendar | with 24 doors | S. Weiss 36 x 27 cm Advent calendar, children can open a door every day until Christmas.In stockRRP EUR 9.90EUR 7.92 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- Advent Calendar Ole WinterwichtDaniela Drescher 33 x 46 cm Advent calendar by Daniela Drescher. A wonderful companion through the Advent season.Currently not availableEUR 14.90 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
- Advent calendar "GiesbertSo Christmas can come. Giesbert as a calendar figure - popular with boys and girls. With enchanting details on every day.Currently not availableEUR 14.90 ** Incl. VAT excl. Shipping
The history of the Advent calendar
The Advent calendar has been around since the 19th century. The basic principle is that it shows the remaining days until Christmas. There are many different designs. The first self-made Advent calendar probably dates back to 1851.
Earlier Advent calendars were quite simple. For example, 24 pictures were hung on the wall one by one. It was even simpler to simply draw 24 chalk lines on the door or wall as an Advent calendar. The children were then allowed to wipe away one line every day. In some Catholic families it was customary to place a straw in the manger every day until Christmas. There was also the Christmas clock or the Advent candle, which was burnt every day until the next mark.
Symbolism of the Advent calendar
As the spiral is an important symbol of Waldorf education, it is also often found on anthroposophical calendars for the Advent season. The path leading inwards also leads back outwards into the community, which is particularly evident in the little Advent garden.
A symbolic meaning is also attached to the evergreen fir tree, which is why this not only plays a role in the little Advent garden, but can also be found on many Waldorf Advent calendars.
The candle, which is consumed by giving light and illuminating the darkness, also speaks for itself and is a significant image not only in the Waldorf kindergarten or school. The candle is therefore an important element of anthroposophical Advent calendars.
The apple, without which there would be no expulsion from paradise and thus no individualisation process, is also often found on Advent calendars for young and old. For younger children, moreover, the animals of the forest often play an important role in Advent.
Waldorf education: The significance of the Advent calendar
Advent is a time of contemplation in which the child also symbolically goes inwards to illuminate its own centre in the Advent light. The spiral, which also leads to the imaginary, own centre, is therefore a very special symbol in Waldorf education, which is also reflected in the little Advent garden.
The Advent calendar with its 24 doors also symbolises the individual steps that lead to one's own centre. With each opened door, more light reaches the inside of the calendar, but also the deepest inside of the soul, which slowly awakens. Thus, like the spiral, the Advent calendar is also a path of individualisation and the search for the light of the world.
Advent calendar in the Waldorf kindergarten and Waldorf school
A bought Advent calendar typically has 24 doors and right from the beginning of December until Christmas. The Waldorf kindergarten's self-made Advent calendar often has more than 24 doors: the anthroposophical contemplation also includes the twelve Holy Nights. Thus, these Waldorf Advent calendars go until 6 January.
In the Waldorf kindergarten, a nativity scene is set up during Advent, which changes week by week and day by day.
In the first week, there are only cloths, mangers, angels and minerals, i.e. stones, on the table. Mary and Joseph take one step forward each day, perhaps even on a path made of golden stars. With each step, the abandoned star moves to a blue cloth behind the seasonal table. In the second week, plants then appear on the seasonal table, in the third week the animals and then shortly before Christmas, i.e. in the fourth week, the shepherds appear. When the children return to the kindergarten from the Christmas holidays, Mary and Joseph have arrived and the child lies in the manger surrounded by people and animals.
You will find a stable, Ostheimer figures and much more for the design of the Advent calendar in the Waldorf kindergarten or at home in the category Nativity.
In our online shop you will find an Advent calendar consisting of 24 surprise nuts filled with precious stones in a cotton bag, of which 2 nuts each in gold and silver for the special days, such as St. Nicholas or Santa Lucia.
In the Waldorf Kindergarten, the Advent garden is a big event every year, the elements of which can also be found in a self-made calendar. In the Waldorf Kindergarten, natural materials are often used to make such an Advent calendar. Often, jute is used and the Advent bags do not always contain something to eat, i.e. chocolate. It may also be an idea for a game that is played on the respective day. A Christmas song or a nice saying can also be hidden in a small bag.
For children from grade 3 onwards, daily riddles are a particularly stimulating element - here a riddle can be hidden behind the "doors" of the Advent calendar every day, which the whole class can puzzle over together. So there is no lack of creative ideas in either the Waldorf kindergarten or the Waldorf school, because creativity is one of the essential values that come out particularly well in the light of Advent and in the search for oneself.
Make your own Advent calendar
It is very easy to make a beautiful Advent calendar yourself. All you need are: 24 small bags, a string, decorative material, Stockmar wax crayons, stamp set, small items to fill.
In Waldorfshop we have created a special section where you can find useful, joy-giving and high-quality little things to fill the calendar with.
In our Youtube video we show you how to create a beautiful Advent calendar yourself.
Another idea for a homemade advent calendar is this one:
During a walk in the forest, 4 branches of about the same size can be taken home. Small jute bags are sewn in no time with the sewing machine and can each be provided with a cord to tie them on. These are attached to the branches with the cord so that 6 little bags hang from each branch. As contents, the titles of wish reading stories can be written on a small card, apples or nuts can also be put into the little bags.
If you like, you can have your child write down 24 small wishes, which are then distributed among the 24 bags. Every day, one of these non-material wishes is fulfilled. Some children may wish for a night hike together under the stars, home-baked biscuits, a children's cooking day or another experience with the family. Sometimes the simple things are the best!