History of Advent:
Advent began to be celebrated or followed in the fourth century, shortly after the first council of Nicaea dictated the Nicene Creed, wherein they tried to set forth their interpretation of the scriptures and how people should believe and what holidays they should have and when. The word advent means coming, as in the coming of Jesus Christ. Advent celebrates his first coming and looks forward to his second coming. The German Lutherans seem to be the first Christians to come up with the advent calendar, which started on December first and was used to count down the days to the birth of baby Jesus. When the first commercial calendar was made is a point of dispute, some saying it was made in 1902 others say 1908 by Gerhard Lang. Unfortunately his firm went out of business in the mid 1930s and the practice of using advent calendars seems to have died off during World War 2. Once the war was over a man named Richard Sellmer who lived in Stuttgart Germany started making the advent calendars once more.

Modern Advent Calendars:
Most advent calendars have 24 little doors like the Wooden Santa Advent Calendar, behind the doors there can be a picture or a bible verse, something to do with the nativity. There are some electronics like the Talking Advent Calendars with Nativity Scene which do both, as you open the door you hear about the ornament inside. Today calendars also have candy or chocolate inside them, which seems more directed at children or adults with a good sweet tooth. But since there is nothing relating to the birth of Christ, it seems these are more for counting down the days till Christmas when Santa brings presents, like the Santa and Tree Advent Calendar.