The Best DIY Advent Calendars, Ideas, Tips & Tricks

As the holiday season approaches, many families will incorporate Advent calendars in their list of Christmas traditions. There are so many Advent calendars to choose from β€” whether a reusable calendar passed down through the generations or a spiffy new one from a store. Those are great options, but DIY Advent calendars can just add to the fun.

With a DIY version, families can open little surprises every day until Christmas, and the actual creation of the calendar also becomes a memorable family activity. Even kids can DIY an Advent calendar for the season.

There’s still plenty of time to prep before December 1, so here’s everything to know about making an Advent calendar this year.

The History of Advent Calendars

Woman opening an advent calendar
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As NPR notes, Advent as a religious season has roots in at least the fourth century. The word comes from the Latin for “arrival” and is associated with the Christmas birth of Jesus. Early concepts of the modern Advent calendar began in 19th century Germany as a way for people to mark the days counting down to December 25.

According to Vox, Advent season starts the fourth Sunday before Christmas, so its true start date shifts every year. To keep things simple, though, today’s Advent calendars usually just start on December 1.

The first Advent calendars were as simple as putting chalk marks on walls or lighting candles, per NPR. In the early 1900s, German publisher Gerhard Lang made the first commercial printed Advent calendars.

By the 1950s, NPR explains, calendars with little chocolate treats started to become popular. And today, almost every theme of calendar exists, from ones filled with dog treats to ones featuring beauty products, cheese, or tea.

How To Make a DIY Advent Calendar

Paint an Advent Calendar

wooden advent calendar
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Places like Amazon or hobby and craft stores sell unfinished Advent calendars β€” usually unpainted wooden boxes with 25 tiny drawers. Kids can paint the boxes or use other craft items, like stickers, stamps, markers, or construction paper, to decorate and number the little squares.

Some of the unpainted calendars even come in fun, festive shapes like a train or Christmas tree.

Sew an Advent Calendar

Fabric advent calendar
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There are a lot of helpful downloadable patterns available on Etsy for sewing a fabricΒ or felt Advent calendar. These are typically made from a larger sheet of fabric or felt with individual pockets for the Advent treats. There’s also a cute pattern for a calendar shaped like a Christmas tree where the daily “treats” are individual felt ornaments the kids can help make.

Make a Punch Box Advent Calendar

punch box advent calendar
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DIY punch box Advent calendars have treats hidden inside cups or toilet paper rolls covered in paper. Kids can easily make these, and they’ll have a lot of fun “punching” a hole in that day’s cup to get the surprise.

Here’s a tutorial for one using paper cups and napkin. This tutorial uses toilet paper rolls and construction paper. Make them in the shapes of trees or wreaths for added flair.

Advent Calendar Bags

DIY advent calendar with paper bags
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Another easy DIY idea is using 25 paper bags (or even envelopes) to make the calendar. The little ones can color on the bags/envelopes to personalize them. Use a tutorial to string the bags/envelopes up on the wall with a piece of twine (or a garland or branch) and clothespins.

What To Put in a DIY Advent Calendar

Advent Calendar Treats, Toys & Items

hand opening an advent calendar
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Some of the most popular things to put in an Advent calendar are edible treats or small toys and items. Things like candy and chocolate will delight most children when they open up the little drawers. (Here’s a hack: Parents can buy one of those big Halloween trick-or-treating bags on sale after the holiday. Then just choose different candies for the different days.)

Another option is to buy small toys at the dollar store or even to take a small Lego set and divide the pieces throughout the month. At the end of the calendar, kids can put the whole set together. Amazon also sells assorted toy sets with lots of small options. And some kids may appreciate small makeup items, jewelry pieces, hair accessories, stickers, or art supplies.

The only limit is whatever budget the parent wants to set and the size of the calendar boxes. Other than that, go wild!

Advent Calendar Notes

Envelope advent calendar
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Advent calendar items don’t aways need to be toys or candy. A series of notes can also be fun β€” especially if the calendar pockets or envelopes don’t have a lot of room.

Parents can put Bible verses on the slips of paper, encouraging words, suggestions for acts of kindness, or Christmas-themed jokes. For parents who need a little inspiration, Etsy sells digital downloads of a lot of these β€” like themed jokes, positive quotes, affirmations, or scripture cards.

Advent Calendar Activities

Girls making hot chocolate
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Use the calendar as an excuse to participate in even more fun holiday traditions. Pick a bunch of activities and write them down on slips of paper to include in the Advent calendar. Great options include: “Have hot chocolate with breakfast,” “bake holiday cookies,” “go look at lights tonight,” and “watch a Christmas movie.” That way, opening the calendar every day isn’t just a fleeting moment, but a chance to make more family memories.

Additionally, Etsy has digital downloads of activity cards for anyone who needs more inspiration.

DIY Advent Calendar Tips & Tricks

Make a Shorter Countdown

Advent calendar candles
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If a full 24- or 25-day calendar feels like a lot of work, it’s totally acceptable to just do 12 days (or even seven or five) . According to Mercy Home, historically church Advent calendars were just four candles that were lit each Sunday leading up to Christmas. So it hasn’t always been a 25-day period.

Just be sure to adjust the start date on a shorter calendar so it’s still counting down to December 25. Kids will be excited about any treats or activities at all, so it’s OK if they’re not getting 25 days worth.

Have a Theme

Girl opens an advent calendar
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Stuck on what to fill an Advent calendar with? Try picking a theme. Maybe your child is into cars and they can get one new toy car a day. Or maybe a preteen has gotten into painting their nails and their calendar can be filled with polishes and nail decals.

Having all of the items relate to each other makes it a more cohesive experience.

Let the Kids Contribute

Little boy with a DIY advent calendar
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The best part of a DIY Advent calendar is it gives parents and children an activity to do together to make memories. Carry this experience through to filling the calendar. Have children suggest activities to go on, or let siblings trade off filling different days for one another.

The more involved the kids get, the more fun and memorable it will be for everybody. Shuffle the items before putting them in the calendar, so the kids will still be surprised to see exactly what they get each morning.