A Belarusian Company Released an Advent Calendar — Buyers Have One Big Question: “Where Do I Keep the First Sock?”
The Brest-based hosiery manufacturer CONTE has decided to bring customers some holiday cheer with an unusual Advent calendar. Instead of traditional sweets or cosmetics, each window contains a sock from the brand’s winter collection. But there’s a twist: not a pair — just one sock at a time. And that detail has sparked questions on social media.
“Embarrassing” or fun?
The company says the calendar is meant to create “a small ritual to help set the holiday mood.” The price is around 38 rubles for 6 pairs of socks divided across 12 windows.
However, a heated debate has unfolded on Threads. Many buyers argue that the idea of receiving one sock per day is a failure.
One user asked:
“Why does this feel embarrassing for a brand like this? Why not make a 6-day calendar and avoid the shame?”
Another chimed in:
“Totally embarrassing. You open a window, take out one sock… then what? Wear it alone?”
Some commenters said the issue wasn’t just the product itself but a misunderstanding of how Advent calendars traditionally work.
“It’s a pity that the original meaning of the Advent calendar has basically been lost. It’s supposed to count down the days until Christmas — 25 days in the Catholic tradition. There were never any 12- or 15-day versions,” one subscriber wrote.
Others took the humorous route:
“So that’s why I sometimes find one sock in the washing machine — it’s an Advent calendar, apparently.”
Another user complained about the practical side of things:
“I want to open a window and get something whole, even if it’s small. Why do I need one sock? And what if its pair only appears five days later? Where am I supposed to keep the first one while I wait?”
This same practical issue kept resurfacing among customers: how to store the lone sock until its match appears — something that could easily spoil the holiday mood.
Still, some users found the concept charming. “To me, it’s fun: collecting socks one by one, waiting to see if today I’ll get a match for yesterday’s or something new… It’s a game. And games are good,” one commenter said.
Another user pointed to a similar example abroad:
“Last year there was an Advent calendar from soxo.pl — 24 days, one sock per window. Then you’d have to match them. It was fun. I don’t get why you think it’s embarrassing. My followers were waiting to see when the pairs would match — almost like Tinder.”
“We wanted to create an affordable gift”
CONTE representatives responded to the debate on social media, explaining that the company intentionally moved away from the classic 24-day format.
“After analyzing thousands of orders, we realized that 25 pairs of socks is too much for most people,” the company said.
They added that such a calendar would be “bulky and expensive,” while their goal was to offer an affordable gift. That’s why they chose the “matching” concept, splitting 6 pairs into 12 windows. “We’re not trying just to sell socks — we want to create a festive mood and make it a game,” the factory explained.
The company emphasized that they are “very grateful for honest feedback and will take it into account for future collections.”
Advent calendar (from Latin adventus — “arrival”): a calendar counting down the days until Christmas. Traditionally includes 24 days starting from December 1. Behind each numbered window is a small surprise such as a sweet, toy, or note. Matching — in this context, the process of pairing individual items — here, socks.
How did it start? A bit of history
The original Advent calendar concept dates back to 19th-century Germany and is tied to Lutheran, not Catholic, traditions surrounding preparation for Christmas.
Before paper calendars appeared, families counted down to Christmas in simpler ways:
— Chalk marks on a wall — children erased one each day
— “Advent candles” — burned daily to a marked point
— Religious practices — reading Bible verses and prayers
The “father” of the modern Advent calendar is considered to be Gerhard Lang. As a child, his mother would bake 24 cookies and attach them to cardboard to help him cope with the anticipation of Christmas. As an adult, Lang created the first commercial Advent calendar in 1902, and in 1908 — the first version with doors.
The first chocolate Advent calendar appeared in 1958. From that moment, the concept shifted toward commercialization. Today, Advent calendars come with cosmetics, tea, alcohol, toys — and now, as it turns out, even socks.