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This Sunday, 29th November, is the first advent, which marks the start of the Christmas season. Advent begins on the Sunday nearest to 30th November, the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle, and covers four Sundays. The advent calendar tradition has its origins in 19th century Germany, where protestant Christian families drew a chalk line on their door for every day in December until Christmas Eve. In the early 20th century, the chalk lines were replaced with printed calendars.

It was Gerhard Lang who printed the first advent calendar in Germany in 1908. The very first calendar he made - unlike the modern versions - did not have windows. Instead, coloured pictures, representing each day of advent, were attached to a piece of cardboard. Later, little doors were added which were opened each day and revealed a religious picture, a verse or a sweet.

At the height of World War II, German advent calendars stopped being manufactured because of the strict rationing of cardboard. However, in 1946, Richard Sellmer initiated the manufacturing of advent calendars again in Germany. He had to secure a printing license from the U.S. Military and bought the paper he used in the U.S. Military zone. Advent calendars were handmade back then. In 1950, advent calendars started selling and became very popular, especially in the United States.

Today, the tradition is known all over the world and has a firm place in many homes, though it has lost its religious background somewhat, with many calendars depicting current pop stars or cartoon characters and most of them containing chocolates and sweets.

Rose Calendars do not manufacture advent calendars but can look back on an equally long tradition. Founded in 1908 – the same year Gerhard Lang produced the first printed advent calendar in Germany - the company is still a family-run business and has been specialising in the production of promotional calendars for over a century now. Over the years, many companies have benefited from using one of the many Rose titles as a cost-effective tool for their business promotion.

So if it’s corporate calendars you are looking for, please contact us. We look forward to sharing our expertise with you and making your marketing budget go further. Our range of 2010 calendars is sure to contain something for every taste and budget.

You can browse our 2010 calendars and also register to be informed about the upcoming launch of our 2011 calendars.