Prepping DIY Advent Calendars

Only a week to go until 1 December, which means time to get the Advent calendars ready. There are so many options these days for shop bought ready filled Advent calendars filled with chocolate, sweets, stationary, toys and more, for all kinds of budgets. But since I’ve been a kid, we’ve always been team DIY. The refillable calendar my mum made for me over 40 years ago was handed down to my boys, and now I fill it for them every year. But you don’t need to make something elaborate – 24 envelopes or 24 paper bags, hung on a wall or door, will do the trick. And you don’t need to find 24 items to put inside – aim for 8 to 12, something for every two to three days, and fill the rest up with sweets or chocolates or maybe a voucher for something that won’t cost much (like a movie night with special popcorn, or an outing to look at Christmas lights with a fancy hot chocolate at the end).

I’ve gathered some suggestions from previous years, and the ages my kids were, to give you a few ideas. Great shops here in the UK, to find last minute small items, include Flying Tiger Copenhagen, The Works, the Christmas aisles at Tesco, Sainsbury’s etc, and some Lego mini figs never go amiss for anyone old enough. Or for a less consumerist option, why not try an Activity Advent Calendar (free downloadable cards included), or create a Book Advent Calendar with your existing books (maybe pop in one or two new ones if budget allows) for a daily book ritual during Advent.

Advent Calendar Fillings

(these all make great stocking stuffers too, btw)

• For Toddlers age 1 & 2
• For Kids age 2 & 6
• For Kids age 3 & 7
• For Kids age 4 & 8
• For Kids age 10 & 14

And for any friends or family members who have just had a baby, why not celebrate them with an Advent calendar filled with treats for a new mum!

Activity Advent Calendar

Choose 24 activities to do, one for each day from 1 December up until Christmas. You can incorporate things you would have been doing in December anyway, which helps to keep the costs down. For example, making and putting up Christmas decorations, baking Christmas cookies, buying and trimming the Christmas tree, writing a letter to Santa, but because it’s in the CALENDAR the kids thinks it’s twice as exciting! And it also requires little preparation, besides checking that you have any necessary supplies for baking or craft activities in the house. Write your activities on pieces of paper and pop them in envelopes, or a refillable Advent calendar if you have one. Optionally you could choose to add a little treat in with the activities each day, or just keep it sweets free.

Head over to my previous post for more tips on how to prepare an Activity Advent Calendar, and download your free printable Activity Advent Calendar cards!

>> Activity Advent Calendar Tips & Free Downloadable Cards

Book Advent Calendar

A Book Advent Calendar doesn’t have to cost the Earth. In my previous post, I shared 5 tips for you on how to create your calendar without breaking the bank. And I also shared three different ways to put your calendar together, from wrapping all the books individually, to an alternative idea for those who like a bit of crafting! Check out my previous post, including a short video, for my tips and download your free printable Book Advent Calendar template.

>> Book Advent Calendar Tips & Free Downloadable Template

As always, I love seeing photos of people putting our ideas in to action, so if you download any of our free templates to make your own calendars I’d love to see them! Feel free to share and tag me on Facebook or Instagram. And, of course, I hope you all have a great Advent!