The Christmas Attic’s Holiday Advent Calendar Event – Celebrating the Store’s 40th Anniversary

Old Town’s landmark, The Christmas Attic has partnered with area schools, churches, and community groups to help produce a temporary exhibition featuring illuminated canvases of art to be revealed in each of the stores windows for The Christmas Attic’s Holiday Advent Calendar Event – part of the store’s 40th Anniversary Celebration.

From December 1 through December 24, 2011 each day at sundown, the store will reveal “advent art” featuring a variety of local holiday creations.  All art will be placed either in the windows or on the brick of the building on the front side facing Union Street.  Visitors can picture the entire building being transformed into an advent calendar.  Media is welcome to join the kick-off reveal on December 1st.  In addition, each Saturday in December at sundown, there will be holiday entertainment and activities inside the store for shoppers to enjoy.

At the closing of the Advent Calendar event, the canvases of advent art will be available for auction at a post-event celebration (to be scheduled in early January).  Proceeds from the auction will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic.  The Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.  

Some area schools and organizations that are participating in making advent creations are: Old Presbyterian Meeting House Preschool, Meeting House Youth Group, Good Shepherd Catholic Church Youth Group, St. Anthony’s Day School, Christ United Methodist Church Youth Group, Greentree Preschool, St. Raymond’s Catholic Church Youth Group, and Aquia Episcopal Church. 

The Christmas Attic (this year celebrating its 40th Anniversary) was opened by a local family that loved the spirit and joy of the holidays.  Since 1971, the charming store has long been considered a “must see” by locals and tourists alike.  Specializing in hard-to-find, unique items, the store’s offerings include European hand-blown glass, locally-designed souvenirs, Italian nativity scenes, snow-covered village houses, German collectibles as well as angels, Santas and snowmen galore.  The store also stocks a wide selection of everyday gifts, books, home décor and accessories plus a fun, funky wine selection.  The store is located in an 18th century tobacco warehouse situated one block from the Potomac River in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia.