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I'm not usually one to jump on the winter holiday bandwagon early (or at any point, really), but I've been giving some thought to Advent calendars lately. Advent calendars were a very minor though perfectly pleasurable part of the holidays for me growing up in a Catholic household. I remember getting them from my mom, family friends, but I don't know that my sister and I necessarily even got one every year. I remember the simple cardboard construction, the not-always-reliable perforation for the little flaps and the too-small, just kind of so-so molded pieces of chocolate, which I gratefully devoured nonetheless.

I've been thinking about Advent calendars lately because they're already on the shelves at places like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but the calendars I saw on display at the latter especially caught my attention--still the simple cardboard construction but instead of the barely-chocolates of my experience, these calendars are filled with much finer chocolate, Swiss, I believe. I wasn't appalled by the better chocolate, for even at the pre-foodie age of five or six I could see room for improvement in the edible contents of my calendars, but rather by the price tag. My numerical recollection is not so great, but I believe the fancy calendars at Whole Foods are going for upwards of $7. Perhaps at the less-than-tender age of almost 30, I'm just becoming grumpy and cheap, but part of the charm of the Advent calendars of my youth was that they were simple, very inexpensive treats. Couldn't one get an Advent calendar for like a dollar back in the day? (I am getting old...)

This calendar for candy control made me wonder if, at this time of year, any LTHers are making their own Advent calendars. I'm curious about different takes on the sweets but also any innovative departures from the cardboard-flap means of dispensing the edible goodies. Anyone?

I have seen for sale empty advent calendars that consist of 25 wooden boxes (think of a box the size of a wooden alphabet block). Googling "wooden advent calendar" turns up a number of options.

I think it's a great idea, and a wooden calendar would be a terrific keepsake. I have fond memories of advent calendars--even the kind without the chocolates, just the pictures--and often think about buying one for my adult self.

My parents bought one of the cardboard ones that happy_stomach mentioned...and then re-used it for years and years, stuffing it with holiday Hershey Kisses.

I've often thought about something like this for Sparky, but he's already excited about holidays beyond all reason...and we dole out the Halloween candy a piece a day anyway. Family Fun is usually a good place to find crafty stuff.

_________________
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The only problem with Advent calendars is what happens on December 5th when you are out of candy??

That's the beauty of being an adult...no one is going to tell you that you've had too much chocolate!

Sigh. If only that were true...

_________________
No guts, no glory.
http://www.chicagonow.com/quips-travails-braised-oxtails
http://quipstravailsandbraisedoxtails.blogspot.com/

A few years back, we bought a dozen and handed them out at Thanksgiving. My cousin, who was too young to remember us doing the Advent calendar was excited to have one for her little boy.

She gets ready to open "Door#1" ... and her son says, "skip that one, Mom, I think that I am up to #15 ..."

And the kid wonders why I adore him ... he frustrates my cousin in the same way that she (my YOUNGEST cousin) frustrated me.

I've seen those...they're neat. I guess I was more interested in homemade calendars that really challenge the notion of or depart from the more traditional Advent calendars. The first idea that came to me when seeing the wooden compartments was to fashion an Advent calendar that was kind of a modern Wunderkammern of edible delights. Having grown up with the cheap cardboard calendars, I always knew I'd get basically the same kind of chocolate every day of Advent (loved it, but it was still the same piece of chocolate everyday). I'm curious about what it would be like to have a complete surprise each day. In my fantasy, I'd have an Advent calendar that might offer me maybe a mooncake one day, a Michel Cluizel truffle another day, a homemade fruit gelee another day...a little meringue cookie, maybe an Indian treat one day...a besan ladoo? There aren't enough days in Advent for all of the treats I've imagined!

At US Toys in Skokie the other day, among the Lego advent calendars, I noticed two very lovely wood ones that I would have purchased, but they were a bit out of my price range for a Christmas decoration (somewhere between $30 and $50) One was a nativity scene, the other a snowman, they both had little numbered spice-drawers where you could hide a modest treat.

_________________
No guts, no glory.
http://www.chicagonow.com/quips-travails-braised-oxtails
http://quipstravailsandbraisedoxtails.blogspot.com/

A friend makes great Advent calendars with paper and string. They don't look like calendars, but they are very flexible and cost almost nothing (apart from the price of the candies). Her method: wrap each day's treat in white paper (she has a minimalist aesthetic, but you could use colored paper, if you prefer) and tie it up with a great deal of string (this may seem trivial, but when it comes to treats, lots of string makes any treat seem more mysterious and desirable). Label each packet with a number (from 1-25). Next, tie these little packages to one long string that you've hung up like a laundry line. The packages can dangle at different lengths or you can make the whole thing uniform, if you prefer. Again: it cost's nearly nothing to make and spreads the thrill of unwrapping presents across the whole month.

One question for the candy-makers out there: I'm thinking of making Rose Levy's Beranbaum's pistachio-marzipan-chocolate cookies. Has anyone made their own marzipan? Do you absolutely have to add glycerin (and if the answer is yes, where do you get it?)?

A virtual Advent Calendar from Saveur: http://www.saveur.com/cookie-advent-calendar-2012/?cmpid=fb

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
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I'm pretty sure I got the small bottle of glycerin I have from Wilton (probably at Michael's craft store) last year. http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-708-14-Glycerin-2-Ounces/dp/B0000VMAF2

Hi,

I have bought glycerin from a pharmacist. Not sure if this would happen today, this purchase was over 25 years ago. (I loathed it when my grandparents would make those, "Back in the day ..." type comments. I remember my reaction, then say it anyway.)

Regards,

_________________
Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast