Christmas is coming and the most magical time of the year begins. What better way to kick off the Christmas season than with an advent calendar?
The advent calendar is a tradition much loved especially by children (but also by adults) and consists of counting down from December 1st to 24th by offering a small gift every day, be it a present, a chocolate, a candy or a famous quote.
Born in Germany in 1800, the advent calendar in those days was different from how we know it today as it consisted of simply lighting a candle and marking a notch with chalk in the days before Christmas.
The version closest to us only came at the beginning of the 1900s when the typographer Gerhard Lang created calendars with 24 windows (corresponding to the 24 days before Christmas) behind which snowy landscapes or sacred images were discovered.
Currently there are many types of advent calendars that differ in shapes and materials every year.
However, we can also create a calendar ourselves that is reusable year after year; an ecological alternative to experience Advent in a more conscious way and a new Christmas tradition to add to the others in the family.
Those who know how to sew or crochet can create many creative ideas: from mini felt (or crochet) socks to fabric tapestries with numbered pockets.
Felt socks
Cloth tapestries with pockets
If you don't have tailoring skills, there are many other DIY projects such as making bags by cutting fabric and tying a ribbon.
Or the advent calendar can be an opportunity to reuse the jars or glass jars (perhaps of different sizes) that you already have at home.
Fabric bags
Other types of reusable advent calendars really need a small budget to make, for example by buying mini Santa hats, boxes, tin buckets or paper bags to hang or in a basket.
Santa hats
Little boxes
Paper bags
What to put in the advent calendar
The options are truly unlimited, all you need is simply indulge your imagination and creativity. Among the many original ideas, there is that of creating themed advent calendars to give to a special person such as:
Nature inspired advent calendar
In this case you can use natural objects such as a pine cone, a stone, a leaf, seeds to plant, etc...
Culinary style advent calendar
An original idea is to insert cards with Christmas recipes, perhaps to make together during the holidays.
Christmas style advent calendar
To immediately get into the holiday spirit, you can imagine using Christmas decorations and adding them to the tree day after day.
Advent calendar for children
For advent calendars dedicated to children, we can think them themed or by making a mix of objects such as:
- Pieces of a 20-piece children's puzzle, interspersing 4 days with candy or chocolate;
- Material for school or drawing such as pencils, felt-tip pens, erasers, etc.;
- Daily coloring pages (easily printable from the internet);
- Figurines (footballers, animals, etc...);
- Soap bubbles;
- Chocolates and candies;
- Magnets;
- Children's jewelry and hair accessories;
- Small toys such as puppets and toy cars.
Advent calendar for adults
The objects to be inserted for advent calendars dedicated to adults are generally small and useful such as:
- Makeup;
- Nial Polish;
- Bars of soap;
- Small samples;
- Hand cream;
- Costume jewellery;
- Tea and herbal teas of different flavours;
- Tickets for shows;
- Earphones;
- PC cleaning kit;
- Key holder;
- Mini Liquor Bottles;
- Bottle opener.