Advent calender ideas

bossymoo

We have a string of 24 felt stockings. In the past we've had little lego men, chocolates (oddly enough, I prefer Choc ones as it's not huge amounts and it doesn't need a home finding after christmas).

We've also done pieces out of a craft set, with instructions at the end

villagelife

I have done one for son's. It would include chocolates but also pencils, pens, rubbers, a bouncy ball and a tree decoration and also paper chains. If we were seeing father Christmas or going to a panto or something similar then the tickets would be that day. I would also include a pound coin and saved shiny ones for them.

RicardaRacoon

My Mum made a calender for us one year which was an A3 piece of paper hung up with small paper houses mounted to it and streets, trees and so on painted on. The houses were probably a bit bigger than matchboxes, so too small for chocolate. Each house had a note, most of them were things we would do together like a special christmas story before bedtime, iceskating, baking christmas bisquits etc. Some were "vouchers" for sweets that were too big for the calendar.

Towser

I got a fabric one this year from a chazzer shop with pockets. £1

I have two sons. One who wants a Lego Advent calendar and the other who is Autistic who eats all the treats in one go every year without fail.

I have had a look at the Lego Advent calendars and don't find them value for money. So my idea is to fill up the pockets each day (once the have taken their chocolate coins) with a small little Lego made item they have made, alternately every day. The chocolates will be filled daily so they can't be eaten in one go.

We have too much Lego in our house the last thing I want is more!

skogar

I've seen a few websites where instead of gifts in the pockets there was a piece of paper with a Christmassy activity or similar on it. e.g. watch a Christmas movie, make paper snowflakes, make Christmas cookies, decorate the christmas tree etc. If you google it you'll find some. You could always mix and match and do a mixture of things so they don't eat too much chocolate.

f0xh0les

I totally shot myself in the foot with the fabric advent calendars, it was fine when I had two boys to find gifts, but now there are four of them + DH with fabric advent calendars, I wish I could just pick up a chocolate one at the supermarket (they get 2 or 3 of those as well from my friends!) instead of having to think of 120 'things' to put in them. But they love them, and I am a sucker. Mind you I am a sucker with only 31/120 'things', and it is nearly time to get them out of storage. So if you are going to do it, do it as a 'family advent calendar' rather than driving yourself mad trying to find 24 things that reflect each of their individual interests, unless you start collecting in June.
Can't think about it now, so I am off to do some procrastibaking instead.

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Eenymeeny

My mother bought tree ornaments in Woolworths January sale and that year we found one each day in the pockets of a fabric Advent calendar she'd made. Mainly tiny animals. After that, each year it was a guessing game over which one we'd find each day to add to the tree. It was a great nostalgia thing and I've still got some of them to add to our tree.

Lauraebrad

How about some cookie cutter shapes (small numbers or letters, snowflakes etc?)

clickerty-click

Cheesy Christmas jokes the kind you get in a Christmas cracker you can download them off Pinterest, I have just put some links on my blog if you don't Pin (snadralovesblogging).

Stuff to do like make a card for your best friend, wrap a present for Dad etc you can engineer it to incorporate any of your Christmas prep. Treats like jim jams and Christmas movies with maybe the odd naughty later night over the weekend. Adding their own ornament to the tree maybe with their name on or let them decorate one with a Sharpie type pen. Picking what to have for tea.

I like the idea of the jigsaw puzzle, could you make your own using a family photo from last Christmas?

Maybe a mixture of all these ideas.

FrugalWorker

I was planning on doing one for my niece.

I was thinking
1 Day a week a treat (chocolate or something like that )
1 Day a week religious - light a candle / visit crib / Learn a prayer / teach her the story of Christmas
1 Day a week - Something nice for someone in the family, set table / help your sister / Dad / etc.
1 Day a week - craft / music - make a decoration / card / Cookies
1 Day a week - Sing a song together / learn a new song / watch a film together or on her own.
1 Day a week - something charity based, e.g. take her to buy a present for a charity, give her 2 Euro to put in a charity box of her choice