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Every year it's the same hesitation in the store aisles: mass-produced chocolate, a plastic figurine, or a cosmetic product nobody will ever use. So what if, this year, you made your own advent calendar? A format you love, 24 surprises picked by you, and above all: a ritual that really keeps kids busy all through December. Here are five formats that are easy to make in a single evening, 24 creative activity ideas to slip into the boxes, and our tips for going the distance until the 24th.
Why make your own advent calendar?
The tradition is older than you might think: the idea of marking the twenty-four days leading up to Christmas was born in Germany at the end of the 19th century, long before chocolate got involved. Originally, then, it wasn't something you bought, but a waiting ritual made at home.
The benefits are concrete. You control the budget, often cut in half compared to a store-bought calendar. You tailor the contents to each child's age and tastes. You avoid twenty-four individual wrappers, at a time of year when household packaging production already rises by 15%, according to ADEME. And making it is itself the first creative activity of the season: cutting, folding and decorating the calendar in late November is already a way of stepping into the holidays.
5 easy DIY advent calendar formats
1. The clothespin garland. The quickest one: a string stretched across a wall, 24 little numbered kraft paper bags, hung with mini clothespins. Allow thirty minutes to put it together. The kids take care of the numbering with markers or stickers.
2. Toilet paper rolls. No budget, big effect. Flatten one end of the roll, slip in the surprise, close the other end, and wrap it in colored paper. Stacked in a pyramid on a shelf, the 24 rolls form a Christmas tree.
3. Hanging pouches. The version that lasts for years: 24 small fabric or felt pouches, hung from a piece of driftwood or a curtain rod. A little longer to prepare, but you bring it out again every year.
4. Matchboxes. For small surprises only (a piece of jewelry, a temporary tattoo, a sweet note). Cover each box in decorated paper and glue them in a mosaic onto a piece of cardboard.
5. The wall coloring calendar. The most creative format: a big coloring poster hung on the wall, where the child fills in one area each day. By the 24th, the drawing is finished and becomes a decoration. It's also the only format that needs no container at all.
24 creative activities to slip into the boxes
The trick: replace the object with an activity. A small folded note in the box announces the day's plan. Here is a four-week progression.
December 1 to 6 - opening up the creative world
- Unveil the big coloring poster and hang it on the wall: it's the common thread of the month.
- Color the first area of the poster, with the marker slipped into the box.
- Decorate the bedroom door with a sticker sheet.
- Color your name in giant letters to mark your place at the table.
- Discover velvet coloring: a first page with flocked outlines.
- Saint Nicholas Day: open a Montessori Playkit and do it from start to finish.
December 7 to 12 - finding the rhythm
- A temporary snowflake tattoo, to wear all day long.
- Color the second area of the big poster.
- Create a greeting card for the grandparents from a notebook page.
- Dress up a glass jar with stickers to turn it into a candle holder.
- A Cozy Art page to color before bedtime.
- Turn a finished coloring page into wrapping paper.
December 13 to 18 - stepping it up
- Coloring for four hands: each person takes half of the poster.
- Dress up as an elf, the makeup is in the box.
- Color and cut out the place cards for the Christmas Eve table.
- A sheet of tattoos to share with a friend.
- Color the third area of the poster.
- Decorate the living room windows with repositionable stickers.
December 19 to 24 - the home stretch
- Second Montessori Playkit: the holidays begin.
- Wrap your gifts in a finished coloring page.
- Color the last area: the poster is complete, and it goes up for the 25th.
- Tattoos and glitter: get your Christmas Eve look ready.
- Color a thank-you card to hand out on the 25th.
- Festive makeup: reindeer, star or snowflake, your choice.
What you need to fill the 24 boxes
Looking at the list above, the hunt for supplies seems long. In reality, it all comes down to a few purchases, because each product feeds several boxes.
A single giant coloring poster keeps you busy for about ten days if you cut it into areas, and leaves you with a wall decoration once it's finished. A pack of stickers splits into five or six batches. A sheet of temporary tattoos is cut out motif by motif. Velvet coloring, with its flocked outlines that guide the stroke, suits the youngest children or still-unsteady hands better. Only the Montessori Playkits and the makeup need a bigger box, so save them for the weekends.
Three ways to put your calendar together
The essential formula - about €15. One giant coloring poster and one pack of stickers, spread over the 24 boxes, with the rest filled by activities that cost nothing.
The complete formula - about €35. Add a Cozy Art notebook and a sheet of temporary tattoos. Each week then has its own world, and evenings are covered without effort.
The large-format formula - about €60. The two previous ones plus two Montessori Playkits reserved for weekends, when there's time for a long activity.
In all three cases, half of the boxes are filled with activities that cost nothing: that's what keeps the calendar affordable while giving it content every day.
Our tips for making it through all 24 days
Prepare everything in advance. The classic trap: improvising every evening. Block off two hours in late November to write the 24 notes and gather the supplies. After that, there's nothing left to decide.
Vary the pace. A longer activity on Wednesdays and weekends, something very short on weekdays. A sweet note or a five-minute drawing is enough on a Tuesday evening in December.
Plan for jokers. Two or three "your choice" boxes save you on the evenings when nobody has any energy. It's not cheating, it's organization.
Involve the kids in making it. A calendar built together is a calendar looked forward to. And it settles the question of decoration: they take care of it.
Keep the common thread. An activity that continues all month long, a big coloring poster, a scene that gets completed, gives the calendar a visible progression. That's what makes the difference between 24 isolated surprises and a real countdown.
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Updated on 07/28/2026