Barbie inspires ‘meaningful’ advent calendar

Barbie inspires ‘meaningful’ advent calendar

Barbie has been a big summer hit – but few realise she was the inspiration behind the UK’s top-selling Christian Fairtrade advent calendar.

‘Back in 2011, I saw a Barbie Advent calendar on sale in a supermarket,’ said David Marshall, founder of the Meaningful Chocolate Company. ‘Three things struck me. How could it only cost 99p? What had she got to do with Christmas? What would you think Christmas was about if all you got was a Barbie calendar every year?’

David also saw surveys showing that 36 per cent of 5 to 7-year-olds did not know whose birthday was celebrated on December 25th and that 51 per cent of adults said the birth of Jesus was irrelevant to their Christmas.

‘We worked with clergy, churches and children’s advisers and that’s how the Real Advent Calendar came to be created,’ he said.

To help share the Christmas story the Real Advent Calendar has a line about the nativity behind each of the 25 doors and a corresponding page in the Christmas story-activity book – included with every calendar. The book expands the story along with Advent challenges and a £300 competition. 

More than one million calendars have been sold over the years with three million people experiencing the Christmas story as a result. 

The calendars cost £4.50 each and come in cases of 18 (with free delivery). Supermarkets and Traidcraft are not stocking the calendar this year but, while stocks last, it will be available at the KCLCT bookshop at CRE Midlands 23 or online.

• The KCLCT bookshop is on stand P73 at CRE Midlands 23

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

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