While most people are very familiar with and practice the lighthearted tradition of Advent calendars, many might be surprised by its relatively recent development as a Christian tradition.The Advent calendar is a Christian tradition dating back only to the 19th century, making it less than 200 years old. Advent, derived from the Latin word "adventus," means coming” or “arrival.”'Lacking windows at first, Lang’s design is essentially the same style we have today, though war and a few subsequent alterations would change it slightly.'The calendar counts down the days until Christmas during the Advent season, which is also the very beginning of the liturgical calendar.

James Cameron’s sci-fi threequel “Avatar: Fire and Ash” remained comfortably atop the domestic box office over the Christmas stretch. Meanwhile a trio of new holiday releases, A24’s sports dramedy “Marty Supreme,” the Focus Features musical tear-jerker “Song Sung Blue” and Sony’s action comedy “Anaconda,” helped keep multiplexes bustling… but they weren’t enough to fend off […]...Click to read more

Bottega Ferrigno is located in the iconic “Christmas Alley,” part of the southern Italian city of Naples’ historic San Gregorio Armeno neighborhood. / Credit: Gianpiero Passalia/EWTN News Rome Newsroom, Dec 28, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA). On a small street in the center of Naples, Italy, artisans like Giovanni Giudice work to preserve the custom of handcrafted Neapolitan Nativity scenes, a tradition dating back more than 300 years.“The story of the Neapolitan Nativity scene begins with the Bourbon domination, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and between them … a competition of who made the most beautiful and unique Nativity scene,” Giudice, a third-generation artisan, told Valentina Di Donato of EWTN News. “So from there, the whole story began here in Naples.”