The Advent Calendar
Doesn’t everyone just love an Advent calendar.
No matter what shape or size, whether full of goodies or just little pictures, opening each individual door to discover a surprise each day is still as exciting now as when I had my very first one.
For all of my childhood the calendar would be of a Christmas or Nativity scene with a small picture behind the door, it wasn’t until sometime in the 80’s that I first bought one containing chocolate for my daughters and now they are very much the norm and this has escalated in the last few years and you are likely to find anything from a tea bag to gin.
In 2023 I bought these lovely Advent boxes from the Tiny Box Company and filled them with little presents for both my daughters. (This is not a paid recommendation)
This year I had ideas to make some little stitched chocolate parcels and hang them from a branch, but that was a bit adventurous for the time I had, and then whilst looking for some card the other day I came across one that I had started a few years ago and never finished.
It is just a basic homemade, very traditional style calendar with no sweets, just pictures; but such fun to make and easy to do with the children too.
Just collect together any pictures from old Christmas cards, tags or wrapping paper – even Christmas pictures from magazines are fine. I had a mixture of materials and where a picture was too big for the window I just copied and reduced it on the photocopier.
Then make a plan of 25 differently shaped rectangles on a sheet of A4 paper, leaving a margin around the outer edges. I used a piece of thin black card for the front of mine.
Cut out the 3 opening sides with a sharp knife. Fold back the door to the inside of the card on the uncut side. This prevents the doors springing open too soon on the finished calendar.
Using the same plan on a sheet of white A4 paper cut out suitable pictures for each window and stick in place on the sheet.
Cut some double sided tape to fit around the outer edges and one or two pieces in the middle (this will hold the two sheets firmly together). Place the right side of the picture sheet to the underside of the door sheet carefully aligning the edges and press firmly together.
Stamp a number onto each door one through 25 and add a bit of decoration. Mine is quite basic and a bit rushed. I always prefer to have the 25th day a picture of the Nativity and the largest window.
Behind today’s door No 1 is a cute festive penguin.
If you want to hang it on a wall then just punch a couple of holes at the top edge with a hole punch and thread through some cord or ribbon.
Whatever style of Advent you have for yourself I hope you will enjoy opening it. X
wherethejourneytakesme2.blog 
Hubby and I use cloth bags I made years ago, we fill with our favourite chocolates, we don’t get the little ones one each, they already have two each, I give them a small gift each weekend, Molly got some reindeer hair clips. We got daughter one with chocolate liquors in, she loves them. I do like your home made picture one, might be fun for next year.
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I bought the grandchildren a slot together card advent last year that is reusable – a bit like a 3D jigsaw. One is a tree house and the other a woodland scene. I tend to stay off the chocolate…they will still have loads left from Halloween!
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I love your traditional advent calendar and all the better that it’s home made. I remember having a traditional one as a child, it was always packed away with the decorations and it would come out again the following Christmas. We enjoyed the simple things in those days, now, as you say, you can get almost anything in an advent calendar. I’ve had quite a few yarn ones but didn’t get one last year and haven’t bothered again this year.
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I love simple and homemade. I did enjoy finding all the bits and pieces for my daughter’s Advent calendars – it was a challenge as each box is a different size, and then even more challenging getting all the boxes to fit back into the main box was like a Krypton Factor game! I won’t be filling them every year but we have kept the boxes and when the mood takes me I will probably fill them again.
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Inspired by a gift given to Jean (who blogs on wordpress as onesmallstitch) a few years ago I gave my daughter 25 small presents individually wrapped and dated in a large box as an advent calendar – all small but useful or fun things. The tradition continues.
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I enjoyed doing my daughter’s in 2023 – though finding things to fit the boxes proved a bit of a headache at times…somethings I saw would not quite fit. I ended up going shopping with the most difficult boxes in my bag and hipping one out when I saw a possible gift of the right size to try it. It is a wonder I didn’t make people think I was shop lifting putting things in and out of the boxes!!
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I love this handmade advent calendar. So beautiful. We’re back to the bought chocolate advent calendars this year. I don’t do the gift ones anymore. I do have a paper one with pictures too though and an advent candle to burn. (Johnnyjumps up)
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I must get my Advent candles out…I had almost forgotten them.
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Your calendar looks fantastic, Viv.
Lily has her usual advent stockings with chocolates inside, but I’ve treated myself to a nostalgic, picture advent calendar, this year.
Jules. Xx
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I know so many people this year going back to the traditional picture ones. The ones with goodies in are getting very expensive now too. X
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This is very sweet! I have chocolates in our shared calendar, which I made a few years ago.
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I hope you mean you made the calendar years ago and not the chocolates!!
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