What does advent have to do with the chocolate?

How the season became a box of chocolates

Advent's whole point is counting toward something. The season runs 24 days (give or take, depending on which Sunday it starts) of anticipation before Christmas, and that structured countdown is exactly what the physical calendar was designed to mirror. When Gerhard Lang commercialized the printed Advent calendar in the early 20th century, he replaced candles with small pictures or treats revealed one per day, so the act of opening a door or a window became a daily ritual of waiting made tangible.

Chocolate moved in because confectionery companies recognized that a small daily treat was far more compelling to a child than a paper picture. By the mid-20th century, the chocolate-filled version had largely taken over the mass market, and the Christian origin faded into the background for most buyers. Today the majority of people buying an Advent calendar are counting sleeps until presents and a holiday, not observing a liturgical season.

Where Meghan's calendar sits in that history

The As Ever calendar follows the same logic: 24 compartments, one opened each day, building anticipation toward Christmas. The structure is pure Advent calendar tradition. The contents, handcrafted Compartés dark chocolate ganache truffles and flavored chocolates finished in edible gold, are a long way from the chalk marks on a wall that German families used in the 1800s, which is exactly why Reverend Daniel French objected. His criticism wasn't really about chocolate. It was about a sacred season of reflection being repurposed as a $148 luxury product, when a £5.99 Christian calendar sits on the same shelf and serves the original purpose.

The format is Advent's. The price tag is entirely Meghan's.