What could be better than one day of chocolate treats?

Well, 24 of them, obviously. . . 

Whether you are religious or just happy it's the festive season, opening a little numbered door to reveal a delicious treat is still the best way to enjoy each day in December in the run-up to Christmas Day, especially if it reveals 24 different flavoured Lindt Lindor chocolates!

We all love the anticipation of opening the doors on the advent calendar to reveal a treat in the countdown to Christmas, but have you ever wondered where it all originated?

What exactly is Advent?

Technically, it's the four-week period beginning on the Sunday nearest the feast day of St Andrew (30 November).  Derived from the Latin word for 'coming', Advent has been celebrated since the 4th Century and was the time that converts to Christianity would prepare for baptism.

Nowadays, it is more commonly associated with the anniversary of Christ's birth and the countdown to celebrating on Christmas Day.

Today's Advent Calendar Tradition

Advent calendars begin on 1 December and mark the 24 days before Christmas; a tradition that is said to date back to the mid-19th Century.  Most Advent calendars today have no religious content and have evolved from the first paper calendars believed to have been mass-produced and printed in Germany in the early 1900s.

Early types of Advent calendar used scenes from the Christmas Story and other Christmassy images such as snowmen and robins.  Nowadays, advent calendars can be anything from the latest trend in Toys to Chocolate, Beauty and Jewellery products.  You can even get advent calendars for your pets with dog and cat treats behind each door!

The world's largest advent calendar was made in 2007 at St Pancras Station.  Standing 72m tall and 23m wide, it celebrated the refurbishment of the station and was quite a spectacle.

The most expensive, produced by a company in Belgium, was a filigree glass artwork made up of 24 glass tubes each etched with the day of the month, a diamond shaped fairy 'stopper' and containing a single diamond - the whole piece was worth over £1.7m!  Imagine your loved one presenting you with that on 1 December!

What's in store for you this Christmas at The Chocolate Emporium?

Our Advent calendars are much more accessible - in fact we've kept the price the same as last year plus, this year, we have introduced a new design to our ever-popular Exclusive Advent calendar range.

In addition to the traditional Christmas Shops and Christmas Park designs, we have added a stylish 'Glitter Circle' design decorated with cool silver and gold glitter effect.  All our calendars are lovingly put together by hand with a different flavour Lindt Lindor truffle behind every door. 

There's a mixture of light and dark Lindt Lindor chocolates featuring flavours from our full range, some of them exclusive to The Chocolate Emporium such as Butter Pecan, Gingerbread and Pistaschio as well as those well-loved classics, Caramel, Strawberries and Cream and Dark Orange - check out the flavours we've included this year in our online shop.   

The Calendar measures 26cm x 19cm and can be hung on the wall or free standing for you to share (or not) with someone you love. . . 

Order yours today by clicking on the images below and, if you want to make it really personal, we can happily make your choice of calendar with your own selection of your favourite Lindt Lindor flavours, just let us know!

Stay connected for news of The Chocolate Emporium’s Christmas Gift ranges for 2019; check out our Facebook Page, sign up to our newsletter or just click onto our online shop and get picking and mixing your favourites. . .