ABC Family, with its endless cache of made-for-TV Christmas movies, started its countdown to Christmas weeks ago, but the official countdown is kicking off today. This morning, Protestant and Catholic churches lit the first candle on the Advent wreath—which contains pink-and-purple candles for the four Sundays before Christmas. 

Advent, Latin for “coming,” is also celebrated in homes starting Dec. 1 (tomorrow!) with interactive and often chocolatey calendars.

Last year, my roommate returned from Thanksgiving in Germany with the world-famous Kinder chocolate advent calendar. Inside each day’s window was a chocolate egg.  Inside each chocolate egg, a toy.  Amazing.

And here are my suggestions for the best Chicago-ish Advent calendars:

First, my favorite. Here’s an Obama White House-themed calendar, with a different political figure behind each of the flaps.  THe description reads: “Meet John Edwards, The Red FacedReindeer as well as Jesse Jackson, The Nutcracker, and Bill Ayers, Frosty the Weatherman. Discover fun caricatures of Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Karl Rove. And on the 25th day, open the large, center window to unveil the humorous likeness of Michelle and Barack Obama themselves.”

Another paper option is an authentic German calendar sold at the Chicago History museum, 1601 N. Clark St.

Or, you could choose a cloth calendar.  One Uptown-based artist is selling her homemade felt advent calendars (here and here) on craft Web site Etsy.

For a home of football fans, stop by a sporting goods store and pick up this Chicago Bears advent calendar.

Couldn’t find any local chocolate shops that make their own advent calendars.  Do you know one?  

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