UF Law student distributes Advent calendars to hospitalized children

BY HEATHER HANNAFORD
GAINESVILLE, Fla – Sven Kleinhans, a student at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, has a very special way to celebrate the Christmas season. Since he arrived in the U.S. to study, Sven has been making and distributing Advent calendars for hospitalized children each December. He began this journey while studying at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he was also a student athlete. He had fond memories of the Advent calendars his parents made for him each year as a child in Germany and wanted to bring that joy to other young people. He felt that children in local hospitals would especially benefit from the joy he remembers as a child.
Advent calendars are very special to Sven, as they have a long tradition in Germany beginning with the German printer, Gerhard Lang, who is credited with making the first one at the turn of the 20th century. His design was based on the earlier tradition of German families marking tallies on their doors to count down until Christmas. An Advent calendar is used to count down the days until Christmas starting on December 1st. Each day, a door is opened on the calendar to reveal a small gift. Advent calendars have become increasingly popular in the U.S. in recent years as well, but the traditional Advent calendar is a dear memory for Sven and one he wanted to share with his newfound community in the U.S.
When Sven began making Advent calendars, he would gather all the items himself. As a student on a tight budget, this was a bit difficult at first, but he loved to see the smiles on the faces of the children when they were given their own calendars to treasure. Over time, Sven decided to reach out to his university’s athletics department and other local sports teams for support. He has received very positive feedback. UF Athletics, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have all sent items to include in the calendars, including socks, stickers, and cups. Sven is hopeful that more organizations might help him bring Christmas joy to local children. Sven also likes to include coloring books, crayons, glow glasses, rings, and a small Christmas tree with an ornament that offers encouragement and hope.
Sven usually makes 40-50 calendars every year and distributes them to local children’s hospitals in Gainesville, Tampa, and Orlando. When asked why he started this tradition in his new home, Sven replied, “The reason I do it sounds clichéd, but I am trying to pay forward. I hope the kids will remember that when they were in the hospital, someone cared for them. And I hope that they will then share their own traditions in the future.” Sven believes that sharing traditions and encouraging people in the community to come together is important to build a more caring world and to better our own communities.
Sven plans to deliver his calendars again this year and is finishing them up as he also prepares for his exams at UF. Hopefully, Sven will continue this lovely tradition wherever he lands after his time in Gainesville and bring joy to more children in whatever community he will call home.
He sounds like a good person, but I fear that he will be expelled and then crushed by DEI criteria. “Male, German, Advent”? uh-uh.
What a wonderful story.
Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you, Sven. You give us hope for future law school graduates 😍