Photo by Lauren Allen.
Advent calendars come filled with almost anything you can find these days. Jewelry, shooters of whiskey, and even dog treats have found their way into the dated compartments.
Neighbor Mallory Cislo of Mallory’s Cookie Jar’s sugar cookie Advent calendar feels like a return to the simpler things. Filled with sugar cookies hand-decorated by Cislo, the calendars are available for ordering up until November 15, and come in both 12 or 24-day formats.
She ran a training business, but after a decorating class, cookies became a passion. She made her newfound hobby a business in January of 2022.
“The decorating is very relaxing,” Cislo says. “It allows me to be creative in a way I hadn’t been in a long time. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a cookie decorating video, but the process of laying the icing down onto the cookies is very smooth and kind of a stress reliever.”
Eventually, she stepped away from her former business, Positively Fit Lake Highlands, when Mallory’s Cookie Jar took off.
“I think people were just really supportive, as they usually are in Lake Highlands when a new business comes to town,” she says.
Cislo sells her cookies at local markets, creates specially decorated confections for custom orders and leads decorating classes regularly, often at Vector Brewing.
Along with the option to buy a 12-day calendar for $60 or a 24-day calendar for $80, Cislo sells refill packs for repeat customers. Calendar orders are available on the Mallory’s Cookie Jar website.
This will be the second holiday season Cislo’s calendars go on sale. She buys the calendar boxes from a cookie packaging supplier, which is where she got the idea. It didn’t hurt that Cislo, like many, has fond memories of frenziedly opening compartments and early morning chocolate.
“When I was little, my grandmother always sent us an advent calendar with something special in it, and I just remember that as being a really good memory of her,” Cislo says. “So I just love the tradition.”
