Our Favorite Advent Calendars for 2011

The first known Advent calendar was handmade in Germany in 1851. Since then, Advent calendars have become a beloved family tradition for both religious and secular families alike. Although the observation of Advent for Christians begins on Sunday, November 27th, the secular observation tends to begin on the 1st of December and counts down to the 25th.

The daily ritual of opening the doors and counting down to the holiday is exciting for both children and parents alike. There are a myriad of Advent calendar options out there, but here are some of our tried-and-true favorites at Grandrabbit's.

PLAYMOBIL puts out a fun series of Advent calendars. With themes such as Dinosaur Expedition, Dragon's Land and Pony Ranch, there are a wide variety of unique themes to chose from. For more a more traditional Christmas motif, they also have a cute Christmas Post Office calendar. No matter which one you choose, each PLAYMOBIL calendar comes with 24 unique figures and accessories, as well as a backdrop. A great choice for PLAYMOBIL fans, that they can play with long after advent is over.

LEGO makes a cool advent calendar every year, and this year is no exception. The LEGO City Advent Calendar features 24 LEGO toys for your children to build and play with each day leading up to Christmas. The toys can be added to other LEGO sets, making the "build-up" to Christmas extra fun!

Everyone likes chocolate, right? Well Madelaine Chocolate Company makes tasty and traditional Advent calendars. Their Santa's Toy Factory and Village Toy Shop calendars. feature a different chocolate treat every day. Yummy!

Finally, for a simple but magical advent countdown, eeBoo's gorgeously designed, charming calendars will inspire holiday storytelling. Each calendar is designed by a renowned children's book illustrator, and printed on sturdy cardboard with eco-friendly ink. The beautiful and whimsical designs include bears dancing in the woods, rabbits celebrating christmas in their den, woodland sprites creating holiday joy, a snowman band, and a sweet scene of a father bringing home a christmas tree with his children.

You can come check out all these calendars at any of our three locations or order them online from grtoys.com. Happy Holidays from Grandrabbit's!