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Advent calendars first appeared in the middle of the 19th century as a way to mark the holiday season. Early revelers would count down the days by drawing chalk lines on their doors; by the early 1900's, printed calendars with hidden bible quotes were all the rage; and today Advent calendars are part of the commercial juggernaut of Christmas, used to sell Legos or candy in a themed, holiday package.
Minnesotan maker Peter Leppik is doing his part to carry this tradition into the modern day. Instead of opening up little doors to receive a present, his Advent calendar requires makers to fire up a 3-D printer and build the calendar piece by piece.
He says "I'm always looking for interesting projects to work on. My inspiration for the Advent calendar was simply that we were getting out all the Christmas decorations, and we have an Advent calendar which was given to us when our kids were born. So naturally my thinking went from there to, 'I wonder if I can 3D print an Advent calendar?'"
Photo: Peter Leppik
