Handmade advent calendars come full circle with fabric chain of holiday activities

Advent calendars have come a long way since the 1800s when German families started marking chalk or paint lines on the floor as Christmas approached. Today, children can count down the days with help from Spider-Man or SpongeBob SquarePants, chocolate-filled calendars and calendars that light up and talk.

Last year, there was even an "Obama White House Christmas Advent Calendar" featuring Oprah Winfrey as the Sugar Plum Fairy and U.S. politician John Edwards as a red-faced reindeer.

But while most advent calendars are now produced commercially, the traditional, handmade versions have not been abandoned, says Gerry Bowler, author of "The World Encyclopedia of Christmas" (McClelland & Stewart).

"It actually started off as a craft project," he said. "Now, it's become a home industry to get back to making advent things again."

Though the first advent calendars were nothing more than lines on the floor, by about 1850, German families began making more elaborate calendars, with each day from Dec. 1 to 24 marked by a Bible verse, treat or drawing, said Bowler, a history instructor at the University of Manitoba. Along the same lines, a Lutheran pastor began using a wreath with candles to tell orphan children the Christmas story, lighting a new candle each night before Christmas.

The first printed advent calendar was produced in 1903, and by 1914 Germany was exporting numerous designs featuring winter landscapes, Christmas trees and town scenes with paper windows that open to reveal more detailed images.

That's the type of advent calendar Amanda White grew up with, and she still has the one that used to adorn the door leading to her family's basement. She also has three other calendars, makes her own each year with her young daughter and, after posting some of her favourite finds on her blog, ohamanda.com, decided to become a collector.

"Advent calendars are part magic, part spiritual," said White, 32, of Atlanta. "I love the anticipation of looking at an advent calendar. I see the whole delicious month of December and all the fun we're going to have hidden behind those flaps and doors."

Though she treasures her childhood calendar, White said she now seeks out homier versions. Her collection includes a string of tiny mittens that she uses to count down to her daughter's birthday 12 days after Christmas. This year, she's considering tucking photos from the past year into each mitten so they can reminisce together.

"I love an advent calendar that is more about activity, family, Jesus and special occasions," she said.

This craft project brings advent calendars full circle - literally - to their craft roots. Modelled after a paper chain, it features sturdy fabric links that can be removed one by one as Christmas approaches and then saved and reused year after year. A scrap of paper taped inside each link provides a spot to add an activity for each day. Think of the traditions you already have, and mix in some new ones.

MATERIALS:

-cotton fabric, enough to make 24 strips each 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide and 18 cm (7 inches) long. I used scraps of four fabrics left over from other projects.

-wool/rayon blend felt in colours to match cotton fabric

-fusible web, three 22-by-28-cm (8 1/2-by-11-inch) sheets

-iron