DIY Advent Calendar

In this post, I’ll be sharing a “Coquette Christmas” aesthetic DIY advent calendar project.

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If you’re looking for a creative way to add a dash of holiday spirit to your daily routine this season, I’ve got the perfect weekend craft project for you… a DIY advent calendar! Whether you’re an experienced DIY enthusiast or a novice, this beginner-friendly guide will take you through the steps of creating your own personalized advent calendar using upcycled or easily accessible materials.

Advent calendars are traditionally used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Starting on December 1st, you open a small gift every day through Christmas Eve, December 24th. However, gone are the days of the standard advent calendars with only chocolates and treats. Nowadays, you can find advent calendars with a variety of content such as makeup, books, and much more. The beauty of this is that it can be tailored to each individual’s preferences, allowing for an entirely customized experience.

This year, I’m taking a non-material approach to the advent calendar and replacing the 24 “gifts” with 24 activities instead. This shifts the focus over to experiences, holiday themed activities, and general well-being and self care moments sprinkled throughout the month.

Types of non-material advent calendars to consider:

Activity Advent: come up with 24 activities – could be a mix of holiday themed activities and some relaxing self care moments.
Affirmation Advent: write a list of 24 positive affirmations, perhaps some that you’d like to focus on into the new year ahead.
Journal Prompts: create a list of 24 journal prompts for self reflection, gratitude, creative expression, or general well-being.
Acts of Kindness: come up with 24 acts of kindness (big or small) that you can spread to others throughout the season.
Scavenger Hunt: write a fun and exciting list of 24 “tasks” to complete. Make sure to take photos or videos of each daily task for documentation and memory keeping.
Storytelling: reveal one or two sentences of a story each day, adding up to a finished story at the end of the advent calendar.

To create a non-material advent calendar, simply handwrite (or type and print) each daily activity/task/prompt and add it to your calendar design just as you would a small gift. You can get extra creative with the materials you use to create these. More on this below!

Materials

I challenged myself to create this entire project with materials I already had on hand. A no-spend DIY project is always a bonus in my book.

This is the perfect opportunity to use leftover scraps of craft supplies like wrapping paper, ribbon cuttings, mismatched stationery, cards, paint chips, etc. Take a peek through your craft stash and you’ll likely find something that you can upcycle or reuse for this project.

After gathering my supplies, I ended up with a very “coquette” inspired aesthetic: a pink and purple color palette, dainty ribbon bows, faux fur pom poms, doves with beaded details, and a neutral chic black, white, and cream color palette with pops of gold in the wrapping paper.

Although still in a similar wheelhouse, this turned out a bit different than my usual holiday decor style, but I really love the more feminine and almost balletcore feel. Sometimes, having a more limited approach to gathering supplies forces you to step out of your comfort zone and you may just end up loving the new aesthetic just as much, if not more!

If you’re including small gifts (or creating the non-material advent) but still like the idea of physically opening up a gift (unwrapping is half the fun sometimes!) you can use the little boxes you often receive with gifted jewelry. I always knew there was a reason to hoard these! But you can also use small envelopes, kraft paper bags, or whatever you have on hand!

To recreate the “coquette Christmas aesthetic” calendar I’m sharing in this post, here are the materials you’ll need to source:

wooden dowel
cotton macrame cord
assorted ribbon
assorted wrapping paper – leftover scraps would be ideal!
recycled jewelry/small gift boxes
paint chips
sharpie pen
faux green garland (similar one linked here)
yarn
wooden beads

Extra prep: if you’re joining me in my non-material version, you’ll need to create a list of 24 activities/prompts/etc. that you’ll be including in each box. I chose to upcycle some paint chips and simply handwrite each activity with a Sharpie pen. When I added the paint chips to the small gift boxes, I shuffled them around and placed them upside down so that they remain somewhat of a surprise when I open each box throughout the month.

How To

Assemble the wooden dowel base by tying the cotton macrame cord around either end of the dowel with a double knot. You can add a dab of glue for extra security. Then hang the dowel on a small nail or hook on the wall. It will be easier to put this all together while the dowel is hanging up on the wall.
Write an activity on each paint chip (or whatever you’re using) and set them aside.
Place one activity card inside each of the gift boxes. You should have a total of 24 activities and 24 boxes.
Wrap each gift box. Use a combination of different patterned wrapping paper designs in a coordinating color palette for cohesion. Add a ribbon and bow on each box and get creative with extra details like charms, bells, etc. This is the perfect time to upcycle any jewelry pendants or small trinkets.
Assemble the advent calendar by hanging the gift boxes on the wooden dowl using yarn. (You could also opt for twine, macrame cord, or ribbon.) Use a standard larks head knot to attach the yarn and then tie a knot to the ribbon on the gift box. Take the time to stagger the gift boxes at different heights and make sure everything is nicely balanced.
This part is optional, but you can add numbers to each gift box (1-24) if you have a specific order in which you’d like to open them. (This would be a must if you’re using the “storybook” advent method where each day reveals a sentence or two from the story until it all comes together at the end.) To add the numbers, you can simply write them directly onto the gifts, or add an extra design element with stickers, cards, or tags. Again, the perfect chance to get creative and upcycle some craft materials you may already have on hand.
Add the finishing touches to the design with materials like draped greenery garland, battery operated string lights, pom poms (click here to see how to make easy DIY yarn pom poms), and hanging tassels (click here for my DIY wooden bead tassel ornaments.)

And you’re all set! Starting on December 1st, open one per day and enjoy incorporating the activity into your day. This is sure to add some cheer to your holiday season and is such an enjoyable way to countdown to Christmas day.

Notes: The overall size of the advent calendar will vary depending on the length of your wooden dowel and the size of the gift boxes. I personally really wanted the look of layered and assorted gift boxes, but this particular activity based advent calendar could also be made using 24 small envelopes instead. You could still decorate each envelope and play around with different sizes and color combinations. For the “coquette” aesthetic, add tons of ribbon to the envelopes or glue small bows and bells on them for extra details – there are truly SO many creative ways to go about this.

Here is the exact list I created for my activity based non-material advent calendar:
1. Watch a holiday movie
2. Drink hot cocoa
3. Have a living room sleepover
4. Write a letter to someone you love
5. Make a new music playlist
6. Take a relaxing bath
7. Make homemade soup
8. Put together a puzzle
9. Make a simmer pot
10. Drive to see Christmas lights
11. Start a new book
12. Enjoy a digital detox / set your phone on “do not disturb”
13. Make a simple craft or handmade gift
14. Take a selfie in a Santa hat
15. Have a candlelit dinner
16. Bake a pie or cookies
17. Organize a drawer
18. Go for a nature walk
19. Wear a cozy sweater
20. Have a game night
21. Visit a local coffee shop
22. Decorate a gingerbread house
23. Donate a toy
24. Write your new year’s resolutions / goals

There are countless ways to personalize a DIY advent calendar. You can tailor it to your creativity and budget and, most importantly, make it a special and unique family tradition to look forward to each year.