Advent Calendar Ideas for Kids, Couples and Families

An advent calendar counts down to Christmas with one small thing each day. You can make a lovely one in an evening with envelopes, bags, or boxes, and fill it with treats, notes, or activities. Here is how to build one and what to put inside.

Choose your style

1. Pockets or envelopes on a string, easy and flat.
2. Mini bags or boxes hung on a branch or stacked in a tree shape.
3. A numbered jar with folded slips of paper.
4. A wall poster with sticky notes covering the days.
5. Matchbox drawers glued together in a grid.

Pick one that you can refill every year, so it becomes a tradition.

Plan before you fill

• Decide who it is for: kids, a partner, grandparents, or the whole household.
• Set a budget, and spread it out. Small things on most days with a bigger moment on weekends or December 24 keep costs low.
• Look at your calendar. Put busy-day activities (like a movie) on quiet days, and quick ideas on hectic ones.
• Write the plan on one sheet of paper before you start filling.

Activity-based ideas for families

Activities create memories without adding clutter.

• Watch a Christmas movie with hot chocolate
• Drive around to see the lights
• Bake cookies together (browse our Christmas recipes)
• Make paper snowflakes
• Play Christmas charades
• Read a holiday story aloud
• Write letters to Santa
• Build a blanket fort and read inside it
• Have a pajama day
• Start a scavenger hunt
• Send cards to far-away relatives
• Make a bird feeder with pinecones and seed
• Have a living room dance party

Kindness-based ideas

• Leave a note for the mail carrier
• Donate toys or canned food
• Pay a compliment to three people
• Shovel a neighbor’s walk
• Call a grandparent
• Bake something for a neighbor
• Write a thank-you to a teacher

Kindness calendars are especially nice for classrooms and groups.

Small treat ideas

• A single candy or chocolate
• A sticker sheet
• A small puzzle piece
• A joke on a slip of paper
• A bookmark
• A temporary tattoo
• A pencil or fun eraser
• A bath bomb or small soap
• A cinnamon stick or tea bag
• A coupon for “choose the movie tonight”

Ideas for couples and adults

• A handwritten note about a favorite memory
• A voucher for breakfast in bed
• A playlist to listen to together
• A date night at home
• Their favorite snack
• A photo from the past year
• A quote or poem
• A walk to look at lights

Ideas for teens

Teens like choices and a little independence. Try small treats, music downloads, a cozy item, or a “skip a chore” coupon. Let them choose some of the activities.

Make it a countdown to something special

You can add a story: for example, each day reveals one word of a message, one piece of a jigsaw, or one clue in a treasure hunt that ends on December 24 with a family surprise or a trip.

Make the process easy

1. Label the days clearly. Mix up the order so kids need to search for the right number.
2. Choose a visible spot, like the mantel or a wall, but keep it out of reach of pets.
3. Set a daily time to open it, like breakfast or bedtime.
4. If you miss a day, open two the next day. Kids will not mind.
5. Take a photo each year to track how the calendar changes.

Storage and reuse

Keep the containers in a labeled box. Tuck a note inside with ideas that worked well, and ones to skip next time.

Quick Checklist

• Calendar style chosen
• Budget set
• 24 items or activities planned
• Busy days matched with quick ideas
• Containers numbered and filled
• Display spot chosen
• Opening time set
• Storage box labeled for next year