Countdown with 8 Awesome DIY Advent Calendars

​Children change you a lot and things that I never thought I’d do, I’m doing them now – some of them simply because seeing the joy on their faces is magical.  As the holidays are near, I’ve been thinking about advent calendars especially since K is much older and may be able to appreciate these things.

When it comes to advent calendars, of course, you can buy premade ones filled with little chocolates and candies, or even little toys and fun knick-knacks but I’ve been wanting to do something crafty.

Did you know?

• The first advent calendar was produced in 1851 and was handmade.
• Advent calendars were originally filled with pictures and poems.
• Advent is a time of waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.

So what did my search come up with?  While there are lots of cool ideas out there, I was looking for one where I might actually have the materials.  Well here are my favorite DIY advent calendars and why I think they are a great idea.

​There’s one thing I’m pretty sure of, this advent calendar would be something that I could do since it uses toilet paper rolls.  That’s what makes it awesome, as a year-round consumable, you’re definitely going to have these and it doesn’t take too long to amass twenty four in a short about of time.  Plus you get to reuse it so you aren’t really adding permanent clutter to your home and after it’s all said and done, you can recycle them.  That’s pretty good for meeting the 3 Rs!

You can do any number of 3-dimensional designs for TP advent calendars like a tree as seen above.

Or fold in the top and bottoms for a tab and hang them individually with numbers like Smashed Peas and Carrots

Or keep it very minimalistic keeping with the 3Rs theme like Upcycle That 

I’m always looking for home organization things to make my life look more organized and I’ve seen shoe racks being used for a number of life hacks and this is why this particular idea is awesome.  Even beyond Christmas and the holidays, there are a ton of applications for this versatile storage solution.  If you are planning on using it beyond the holidays, then you can explore putting on pin-on numbers or tags for the days and it’s definitely important that you get one with twenty-four slots.

If you are looking for ideas of how you might repurpose an over-the-door shoe rack after the holidays, check out this link – definitely one that I might use given my living situation!

​This idea was one I came across on Pinterest.  You can use a large muffin pan, a medium muffin pan, or a mini one cover it with circles or squares whichever suits your fancy, and place treats and little toys inside.  What’s awesome about this is when you are done, you can bake with it too.  Who says you can’t play with a muffin pan and make a cake with it too?

​As a mom with three young kiddos in an apartment, space is at a premium, especially come the holidays when the tree comes up and presents start piling up around the tree.  This idea from Poppy Talk is totally awesome because it takes up very little space and still provides the feeling of anticipation associated with advent calendars.  What goes inside each slip is totally up to you.  You could write what it is and the children can claim it from you be it an edible treat, a toy or an activity.

For a tutorial of how to make this specific one, visit  http://www.poppytalk.com/2012/11/diy-advent-in-jar.html

If you have a feature wall or a large family bulletin board, another variation of a less space-consuming advent calendar is the envelope advent calendar.  You can go as minimalistic or as sophisticated in the design and within each envelope, an activity or treat of sorts.  The design below from Pretty Providence just makes me smile.

​This idea comes from Tomfo and it’s super cute.  My kids love crafts so I’m sure this would appeal to them what makes this awesome is the whole buildup to Christmas and not having to think about what little things to put in.  Let’s face it with three kiddos, they’ll each want their own and my wallet may not be able to take it.

If you are crafty, you can certainly draw up something similar to this and use cotton balls to fill up Santa’s beard but if not, Tomfo can provide a downloadable printable for a small fee on Etsy.

​This picture from All Things Thrifty reminded me of a little tradition we have in our family and now that I think about it, it might be something fun for us.

Hubby and I have a tradition of adding one ornament to the tree each year, could be something from our travels, something the girls made or anything interesting that we come across.  Instead of assigning numbers, as you are setting up the tree, you could leave 25 ornaments aside and each day pick one to hang on the tree.  What is awesome about this idea is that you aren’t necessarily adding something new to your home (which can add to the clutter) unless you have a tradition like hubby and I and it’s a way of appreciating what you already have and it’s also a great way to incorporate the children in trimming the tree.

​On the first day of the holidays, a stranger gave me… one act of random kindness!  (Hopefully, you get the song reference even with the word switches).  This idea came from Between You and Me and it’s totally awesome because it brings me back to the idea that the holidays are not about the receiving, but the giving.

Instead of getting something each day, each envelope contains an act of kindness that you do for someone, maybe a friend, a family member, an acquaintance or even a neighbor.  What’s also awesome about this particular type of calendar is that you can brainstorm as a family various acts of kindness and this is a great way to teach empathy to children and remind us as adults to connect human to human.  I’m definitely going to be using something like this as the girls grow a little bit older.

​Everything is awesome… when it’s Lego-themed.  If you have watched the Lego movie, you’ll completely get my reference to this.  This idea from Frugal Fun 4 Boys is awesome because not only can you uncover the goodies inside, but this also provides fun and entertainment after the fact.  Sure, Lego has advent calendars, but why buy when you can build your own?

I’m certainly not that creative and so their instructions would be key for me but if you are good with Lego, feel free to come up with your own designs and share them with me.  This idea would be great for the Lego lover who has tons of toys lying around.  So many different pieces that you could incorporate into this idea.  My brother is a huge Lego buff so maybe I should get him to send me more Legos so that I can build up a decent collection to do something like this or maybe, I should raid our Legos from our childhood days. Regardless, this idea is hands-down the most awesome DIY advent calendar for me!

May you start counting down to a blessed and joyous holiday season!
Julie