Advent calendar / Elena Mozhvilo/UnsplashDenver, Colo., Nov 20, 2022 / 11:00 am (CNA).It's that time of year again! Time to decorate the Christmas tree, hang the stockings, and grab your favorite Advent calendar. What exactly are Advent calendars, and how did they come about?It is said that the Advent calendar was first used by German Lutherans in the 19th and 20th centuries and then spread to other Christian denominations. Gerhard Lang is credited with creating the first printed Advent calendar in the early 1900s. However, his company was forced to close during World War II.By the late 1940s, Richard Sellmer took up mass production of Advent calendars. These calendars began to be imported to the U.S. in the 1950s, and his company continues to operate to this day. In 1958, the first chocolate Advent calendar was produced.Advent calendars typically begin on Dec. 1 and end on Christmas Day. The secular world has picked up on these countdown calendars by using them to provide...