Christmas is coming, and the most magical time of the year begins. What better way to kick off the holiday season than with an Advent calendar?
The Advent calendar is a beloved tradition especially among children (but also adults) and involves counting down from December 1 to December 24, offering a small gift each day, whether it be a little present, a chocolate, a candy, or a famous quote.
Originating in Germany in the 1800s, the Advent calendar back then was different from what we know today as it consisted of simply lighting a candle and marking a notch with chalk in the days before Christmas.
The version closer to what we have today only emerged 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 one could discover snowy landscapes or sacred images.
Currently, there are many types of Advent calendars that vary in shapes and materials every year.
However, we can also create a reusable calendar year after year; an ecological alternative to experience Advent in a more conscious way and a new Christmas tradition to add to other family traditions.
Those who can sew or crochet can create many creative ideas: from mini felt stockings (or crochet ones) to fabric tapestries with numbered pockets.
Felt Stockings
Fabric Pocket Tapestries
If you don't have sewing 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 jars or glass jars (perhaps of different sizes) that you already have at home.
Fabric Bags
Other types of reusable Advent calendars really require a small budget to be made, for example by purchasing mini Santa hats, small boxes, tin buckets, or paper bags to hang or in a basket.
Santa Hats
Small Boxes
Paper Bags
What to Put in the Advent Calendar
The options are truly unlimited, all that is needed is to let your imagination and creativity run wild. Among the many original ideas, there is the idea 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 like a pine cone, a stone, a leaf, seeds to plant, etc...
Culinary Style Advent Calendar
An original idea is to include little notes with Christmas recipes, perhaps to make together during the holidays.
Christmas Style Advent Calendar
To immediately get into the holiday spirit, you can plan to use Christmas decorations and add them to the tree day by day.
Advent Calendar for Children
For advent calendars dedicated to children, we can think of them as themed or as a mix of objects such as:
- Pieces of a 20-piece children's puzzle, alternating every 4 days with candies or chocolate;
- School or drawing supplies like pencils, markers, erasers, etc.;
- Coloring pages to be colored daily (easily printable from the internet);
- Stickers (soccer players, animals, etc...);
- Bubble soap;
- Chocolates and candies;
- Magnets;
- Children's jewelry and hair accessories;
- Small toys like figurines and toy cars.
Advent Calendar for Adults
The items to include in advent calendars for adults are generally small and useful such as:
- Makeup;
- Nail polish;
- Soaps;
- Samples;
- Hand cream;
- Costume jewelry;
- Different flavors of tea and herbal teas;
- Tickets for shows;
- Earphones;
- PC cleaning kit;
- Keychains;
- Mini bottles of liquor;
- Bottle openers.