Opening a door every morning from 1 to 24 December is a ritual that children and adults love just as much. A fill-your-own Advent calendar is usually cheaper than a ready-made one and, above all, it reflects the person who receives it. The challenge is coming up with 24 ideas without ending up with the same chocolates over and over. Here’s how to get it organised now and what to put in each pocket, whether it’s for an adult, a child, your partner… or your dog.
Fill-your-own Advent calendar: how to put it together
- Choose the format to suit the size of the surprises. Jute or fabric bags hung from a branch, little cardboard boxes, kraft paper envelopes pegged to a string or a wooden calendar with drawers: the drawers look lovely, but only very small items fit inside.
- Set a total budget before you buy anything, then share it out: a few special days (the 1st to get things started, the 24th for the grand finale) and lots of small treats.
- Alternate three kinds of pockets: a small item, something sweet and an activity or a note. That mix keeps the surprise going right to the end.
- Get it ready in November, so you avoid the last-minute rush and have time to order anything that’s missing.
Advent calendar ideas for adults
For an adult, small everyday pleasures are better than knick-knacks:
- a Christmas teabag or a herbal tea bag, a square of good dark chocolate, a piece of turrón;
- a scented tealight, a lip balm, a hand cream;
- a pair of cosy socks, a bookmark, a pretty notebook;
- a packet of herb seeds to sow in spring;
- a stamped postcard to write to someone special;
- an “IOU” voucher: breakfast in bed, a night off the washing-up, a stroll around a Christmas market.
Advent calendar for children: sweets, but not every day
A sweet treat every morning ends up being too much. Save the sweets for a few days and fill the rest with:
- stickers, rubber stamps, coloured pencils, a fun rubber;
- a little figure, a piece of a jigsaw that gets completed day by day, a collectable card;
- activities written on a slip of paper: “this afternoon we decorate the tree”, “we write our letter to the Three Kings”, “hot chocolate and a film under the blanket”, “a walk to see the Christmas lights”.
The activity days cost nothing and often create the best memories. For the little ones, check that every item is suitable for their age: no small parts before the age of 3.
A homemade Advent calendar for your partner
Here, it’s the shared moments that count: a film night with a film the other person picks, a recipe to cook together, a question for dinner, a printed photo of a happy memory, a playlist, ten minutes of massage… Only put real gifts in on a few days, to keep the element of surprise.
A pocket for the dog or cat
Your pet is part of the family too: it can have its own pocket, or even its own calendar. Use treats designed for dogs or cats and never chocolate or sweets meant for people: chocolate is toxic to them. A small toy, a walk somewhere new or some playtime also work really well.
And if the calendar is for the pet’s owner, here’s a useful idea for the 24th: a self-cleaning, reusable pet hair remover to get the hair off the sofa before the guests arrive.
Mistakes to avoid
- Buying everything on the last day: you end up with 24 dull knick-knacks.
- Going over budget on the first few days: keep the 24th in mind.
- Filling it with nothing but sweets, especially if it’s for children.
- Forgetting about allergies and the tastes of the person receiving it: go over the list with that person in mind.
- Hanging the calendar next to a radiator: the chocolate will melt.
What matters isn’t how much each pocket is worth, but the care you put into it. To round off your Christmas gifts, take a look at our shop.