Every year, German Club members sell advent calendars to students and staff members for $4 each. Advent calendars are calendars with numbered doors that are opened daily to reveal a small gift. They are used in anticipation of winter holidays like Christmas. The calendars are bought from the Foreign Candy Company in Iowa for $3.25 each. Between 60 and 90 calendars are sold every year, with the money going back to fund the club and their activities. German Club will be selling the advent calendars until they run out of them.

“I think it’s a fun task for us to do because it’s very German,” German Club sponsor Anne McPartland said. “Lots of teachers and other staff members around the building like to buy them for their kids or their grandkids. It’s a cool tradition.”

Other foreign language teachers buy them to incorporate them in their classes, encouraging their students to celebrate the holidays in fun, new ways.

“In my classes, it’s just a fun holiday activity to start the hour,” French teacher David Fritz said. “If students have never experienced advent calendars, they are a fun way to ramp up anticipation for the end of the semester and Christmas break.”

While advent calendars can be found in the United States, they are a far more popular holiday tradition in Europe. German Club aims to bring the tradition to students, staff and their families.

“I like the advent calendars because the chocolate is really good and it makes me more excited for Christmas,” sophomore Emily Butler said. “I think it’s cool that we get to experience the holidays the way they do in Germany and in other European countries.”