The tradition of the month of December, which wants to discover 24 small gifts until Christmas Eve, is now interested in the cultural sector, extending its commercial offer beyond chocolates.
Mini-books for children, puzzles, comics, poetry and even thrillers: Advent calendars are increasingly available in cultural products, which compete with tips to keep you waiting until Christmas. Born in Germany in the 19the century, the concept of the Advent calendar has for several years gone beyond the religious character of the 24 windows of pious images to open from 1is to December 24. Its commercial offering extends from chocolates to beauty products, including beers and sex toys.
Companies in the cultural sector have been slower to launch into this niche, with children’s literature leading the way, particularly with Father Castor (Flammarion), which offers 24 little books to discover day after day. The same goes for industry stars like Little brown bear or Little Wolf. Playing humor for 6/9 year olds, The 24 Times Santa Claus Tour Was Almost Canceled (Seuil Jeunesse) is an album by Dedieu which tells “all the adventures” in which the elves and reindeer responsible for helping Santa Claus distribute the gifts were involved.
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Comics, romance and puzzle
Comics are not left out with, for children, The Advent comic (Le Lombard), 24 four-page stories by different authors that must be cut out every day. The method is the same for DC Christmas (Urban Comics) or Marvel (Hachette), which are aimed at American superhero fans. The pages can also be detached from the collection of 24 poetic texts Even winter feels like a caress (La Doux), written by Marion Fritsch, author of the very popular Instagram account “unlivre_unehistoire”, and the designer Hadrien.
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Taking advantage of the success of the « romance »the Auzou publishing house offers A heart for Christmasa work for readers aged 13 to 32 which is divided into 24 chapters. It also innovates with a “advent thriller”written by detective novelist Franck Thilliez, a book that challenges the reader to wait until the next day to discover the rest of the story.
Puzzle manufacturers are also taking advantage of Advent, like Ravensburger, the German giant in the sector, which is offering for the first time a calendar in which each box contains a mini-puzzle of 54 pieces of landscapes decorated in Christmas colors.
