12 Easy DIY Advent Calendar Ideas You Can Make in an Evening
TL;DR: You can make an advent calendar in one evening from paper bags, envelopes, toilet-roll tubes or matchboxes, numbered 1 to 24. Fill them with small treats, notes or activity cards.
- Brown paper bags on twine: number with a marker, clip with mini pegs.
- Toilet roll tubes: fold the ends shut and stack them in a box or pyramid.
- Envelopes on a wall: great for notes, coupons and flat gifts.
- Matchbox drawers: glue 24 matchboxes into a block for tiny gifts.
- Socks or mittens on a line: reuse odd socks.
- Jars on a shelf: small jam jars with numbered lids.
- Wrapped books: 24 library or second-hand books, wrapped and numbered.
- Branch and ornaments: hang one wrapped mini gift per day on a branch in a vase.
- Egg cartons: two 12-hole cartons painted and numbered.
- Muffin tin: 24 cupcake liners covered with numbered paper circles.
- Clothes-pin calendar: a frame strung with ribbon, pinning one card per day.
- Scratch-off cards: mix 2 parts acrylic paint with 1 part dish soap and paint over tape-covered messages.
Tips
Make it reusable so you only build it once. Number the pockets in random order for a search game, and keep a spare filler or two for days that get forgotten.