When I was a child Advent calendars were magical things. The countdown to Christmas had begun and every day you got to open a little door to unveil a suitably festive illustration.

Chatting to friends of a similar age – around 50 – we can all remember the sense of excitement over what was essentially just a couple of bits of cardboard stuck together.

The doors were often difficult to open and would rip; and sometimes, if it wasn’t glued together properly, you’d try to peer through the gap to get a sneak preview of the pictures coming up. Irresistible but somehow spoiling things a bit.

I was lucky, as an only child I got to open a door (or should that be window?) every day. Others had to share with siblings and squabble over who would open the prized double door – always a nativity scene – on December 24.

There were no chocolates inside, no gifts and certainly no whisky, toys or make-up. . . all of which are freely available this year. But nevertheless the Advent calendar was special.

One friend – with two brothers and two sisters – never had one because it caused too many rows.

I said I’d get him one for himself this year to make up. “Bah humbug,” he replied. Or something along those lines. Obviously, scarred for life!

DID YOU KNOW

Although the calendars count down to Christmas most begin on December 1, regardless of when Advent Sunday falls, which can be as early as November 27 and as late as December 3.

It’s believed that the advent calendar come from German Lutherans who, at least as early as the beginning of the 19th century, would count down the first 24 days of December by drawing a chalk line on the door each day, lighting a new candle or hanging a little religious picture on the wall.

In December 1839, the first public Advent wreath was hung in the prayer hall of the Rauhes Haus (relief house) in Hamburg.

The first printed Advent calendar is said to have been produced in Hamburg in 1902 by a protestant bookshop.

In 1908 the firm Reichhold & Lang of Munich made 24 little coloured pictures that could be affixed to a piece of cardboard and later introduced 24 doors.

The practice disappeared during World War II, apparently to save paper. After the war, Richard Sellmer of Stuttgart resurrected the commercial Advent calendar and is believed to be responsible for its widespread popularity.

In Germany, the city of Dresden has a giant calendar built into a fairytale castle on its Christmas market, the Striezelmarkt.