The Sweet Connection Between Chocolate, Branding, and Advent Calendars

Written by Brendan Gieseke

From mouth-melting hot chocolate to Mariah Carey’s cheery “All I Want For Christmas” on the radio, the holiday season marks a time of warmth and joy. But what can be even more rewarding than the sparkly gifts that lie under the Christmas tree–or a menorah, kinara, and anything else–can be the littler delights you find in your advent calendar! Consisting of "small gifts," Advent calendar recipients can open a new gift every day of December, counting from December 1st all the way to Christmas. The only rule: don’t open the hidden gifts until their assigned date, and no peeking! With luxurious advent calendars from brands like Louis Vuitton to in-game consumables within games like Roblox or Minecraft to customizable advent calendars to share with your kiddies, friends, and family, there is something for everyone.

The excitement that comes with the Advent calendar is how it brightens every day with the joy of receiving gifts– whether that be a gooey Lindor chocolate or a cosmetic item from Sephora. But rarely do we think of where the tradition stems from. In this article, I’ll talk you through the history of the Advent calendar, how marketing impacted its current longevity, and how chocolate, food, and taste are inevitably part of the calendar. 

Origin and Modern Takes

While today, Advent calendars are not limited to being a religious tradition, the origins of the calendar come from Christianity. Religious references range from the 25 days of the calendar representing Jesus’ birthday to the earliest versions of Advent calendars, published by Gerhard Lang in the 1920s, featuring pictures of religious figures for each day. If it isn’t the speculated inventor of the calendar, whose primary goal in its creation was to stop her children from asking “how much longer until Christmas,” it is clear that the Advent calendar has been historically connected to Christianity. That being said, today’s Advent calendars can contain up to 31 days of gifts to count until New Year's or simple winter themes to avoid secularity. It shouldn’t be forgotten, too, that straying away from religious notions allows these calendars to be wonderful marketing tactics for upcoming and established brands. They can let consumers try multiple products, create social media buzz, and even drive up industry sales by $20 million in the holiday season. But for the real meat of the article, let’s get into the notoriously-dangerously good foods you can find in your Advent calendar!

Mastermind Chocolate

After surviving my ridiculously long 400-word introduction to lay the foundations for what an Advent calendar is, I’m sure by now you know that one of the many gourmet foods you can find behind the calendar’s daily trapdoors is…drum roll… chocolate! (Don’t think you knew that, did you…?) A tradition from the 1950s, many calendars have deliciously advanced from basic assortments of dark and white chocolate to Michelin-star patissier-approved masterpieces. Honestly, have you even imagined the possibilities of chocolates oozing with wine, kumquat, brown cheese, and figs, or perhaps a summeresque taste with yuzu, mandarin, passion fruit, and lemon? Maybe a caramel champagne ganache! Herbal green tea sprinkles! Petals of flowers exploding in your mouth with galactic pairings you never thought you’d taste! Or–this one was mind-blowing–top it off with a sliver of mouth-watering American buckeye to soak your soul! No matter the idea, your prestigious chefs are ready to push the limits on what the original foundations of the Advent calendar ever were.

With–literally–supernatural chocolatiers like Vosges Haut-Chocolate and Dandelion Chocolate* driving the steering wheel for chocolate’s version of the Impressionist era, chocolate-lovers can experience these sensational Advent calendars for, with a bargain, the very, very low price of $198! And, guess what, you can save an impressive $68 if you get two at once! Yes, while honorable chocolate companies like Dandelion Chocolate can feel a little less accessible to the common chocolate-lover, it’s more than exciting to even marvel at how chocolatiers can make use of the holiday season. From one chocolate to another, it’s beautiful to think that there is art behind the drop of sugar that tells a story worth more than any picture’s thousand words. As this holiday season comes closer to a finale, the beauty of winter through the lens of chocolate, branding, and an Advent calendar is–dare I say–all I want for Christmas!

*Notes:

2025’s Dandelion Chocolate Advent Calendar even came with annually different custom box-cover art designed by Lina Kusaite, a superstitious moon map, exclusive behind-the-scenes chocolate making videos, and chocolate that looks like depictions of the Milky Way.

Thumbnail Credit:

https://unsplash.com/photos/white-ceramic-mug-with-brown-and-white-liquid-inside-AHIS5FUW0gk

Citations:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Advent-calendar