Amazing DIY Advent Calendar Ideas To Try This Year

5 DIY Advent Calendar Ideas To Try This Year [Updated for 2026]

Are you tired of the same old Christmas Advent Calendars? Do you want a countdown to Christmas that will inspire excitement?

Then look no further!

I’ve done the legwork for you and compiled a list of the most amazing DIY Advent Calendar Ideas to try this year.

Not only are these a great way to countdown to Christmas, they also allow you to be as creative as you like.

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Whether you’re a crafting pro or a beginner, the ideas I’m sharing today come with all the instructions you need!

Dive into this festive season with creativity and joy, and make your holiday preparations extra special with these DIY treasures.

Let’s unwrap the magic of the season together and dive into some seriously festive ideas.

DIY Advent Calendars

Creating your own DIY Advent calendar is a great way to add that personal touch to the Holidays.

Being able to create it yourself means that you can tailor it to your specific likes and have fun in the process.

This creative endeavor of making your own advent transforms the countdown to Christmas into a cherished memory.

Before you start

Creating an advent calendar is a great way to sprinkle some magic over the countdown to Christmas!

But, doing it with loved ones is even better.

I know that a lot of the magic around advent calendars is the surprise each day, so how does that work if you’re DIY’ing it?

Well, before I share the DIY Advent Calendar Ideas, I’m sharing tips on how to get around that and make the countdown just as exciting.

Here are some tips to help make the process extra special:

• Ask someone to do it with you and create one for each other. This way, you won’t know what you’re getting, but you can also experience making one for someone.

• Maybe your friend/family member/significant other could help out and be in charge of sourcing the items for each day in the advent. That way you won’t know what you’ll be getting.

• Ask someone to place the items in random days. This way, even if you got the items yourself, you won’t know on which day you’ll receive them.

• You could ask friends and/or family to write a few jokes on pieces of paper for you. Don’t look at what they have written and simply add them to each day or every other day.

5 DIY Advent Calendar Ideas

Now comes the fun part, taking a look at the 5 DIY Advent Calendar Ideas to help you crush the festive season.

Countdown in style with these amazing, fully unique, and personalised homemade advent calendars!

The possibilities are endless for advent calendars, but here are a few of my favourites.

Mystery Book DIY Advent Calendar

A mystery book Advent Calendar is a fantastic and creative twist on the traditional holiday countdown!

Its perfect for book lovers eager to add a unique literary touch to their festive season.

Instead of chocolates or small trinkets, this DIY homemade advent calendar project involves 24 or 12 mystery books and wrapping paper.

Each day in the lead up to Christmas you’ll unwrap a new book to add to your collection.

Think of it as a new take on the ones you get for children like this Storybook Collection Advent Calendar one.

How to create your own book Advent calendar

To create your own book countdown, start by selecting an eclectic mix of books.

You could go for a wide variety of book genre’s, or stick to a few of your favourites, its completely up to you. But, the key is to choose books you haven’t read before.

If you don’t want to choose the books yourself, maybe you could ask friends/family to choose a book for you that they have read.

They could give you their copy for sustainability or one which they have annotated for you.

Once you have your books ready, wrap each one in some paper. This could be brown paper, festive printed Christmas wrapping paper, newspaper etc.

It doesn’t matter which, just that you can’t see what the book is until you unwrap it.

To finish, arrange them how you like such as under the Christmas tree, in a book shelf, anywhere you like!

Tips for making this even more special:

• Ask someone to choose books for you
• Buy books from a charity/ second-hand shop
• Create a list of books you want to read and ask someone to choose 24/12 books off the list for you.
• Ask friends/family to recommend 2-3 books each they enjoyed and randomly select a few for your advent.

Wooden Drawers Advent Calendar

Using a wooden drawer Advent Calendar is a great way to countdown to Christmas!

It’s a fun DIY project for people with diverse interests as you can choose different items for each day.

This Advent essentially consists of a wooden box structure with 24 or 25 small drawers.

Each one is numbered and filled with surprises, treats, or small gifts to enjoy each day in December leading up to Christmas.

If you’re looking for a low effort, high pay off DIY advent calendar, this is perfect!

How to create your own wooden drawers Advent calendar

To start, find yourself a set of wooden drawers that have either 12, 24 or 25 drawers for your countdown to Christmas.

There are lots of different ones out there like this plain wooden set of 24 drawers which can be personalised or left as as, just add numbers.

If you’d like a set with the numbers already applied for you, this Wooden advent calendar with 24 drawers would be perfect.

You can also get ones that are already designed and finished for you like this Traditional Wooden Round 12 Days Advent Calendar one.

If you would like a 24 day one, then this Spielwerk Traditional Wooden Christmas Advent Calendar is gorgeous.

It’s such a beautiful design for the festive season.

Once you have decided on the advent calendar you want to use, it’s time to consider what you’ll put in it.

When sourcing the contents, make sure you’re checking the sizes so that they will fit in your drawers.

Once you have your items, simply fill the wooden drawers and that’s you done!

Its super easy right?

Ways to customise your wooden drawer advent calendar

If you’re going to be going down the customisation route with your advent, here are some tips to help with your creativity.

I share these tips as I personally created a wooden drawer advent for LB a couple of years ago.

These are some things I learned along the way.

• Use good paints as they will be better quality, more opaque and will dry nicer. This Fantastory Acrylic Paint Set 24 Colours one is a favourite of mine, I love using their paints.

• I highly recommend using a clear sealant as it will help keep your drawers in the best condition. Personally I recommend using this Plasti-kote Premium – Matt Clear Spray, it’s one I use over and over as its so good.

• For something a little different, try decoupage with some festive napkins using some Mod Podge.

Paper Bag DIY Advent Calendar

The paper bag advent calendar is a charming option for those on a budget who would like to try something new.

Creating a bag advent calendar is a great DIY project that’s perfect for counting down the days until Christmas.

Its a creative take on the traditional advent calendar that involves using simple paper bags, which can be customised to reflect your personal interests.

This really is a great budget friendly option and can be personalised to make it even more special.

How to create your own paper bag advent calendar

For this DIY project you’re going to need:

• Paper Bags
• Contents for putting in the bag
• Pen/Sharpie Pen for writing numbers

And that’s it! That’s literally everything you’ll need for this project as its simple and easy.

You can get kits like this LIVAIA DIY Advent Calendar Kit that comes with the 24 bags, string, wooden pegs and more.

These kits are a great option if you’re creating a paper bag advent.

Once you’ve figured out what bags you’ll be using, write the numbers on them for each day of the countdown.

Then you can go a head and fill them with your daily surprises.

When finished, fold over the top of the bags to conceal what’s inside and either use tape, a paper clip, sticker etc… to secure the bag shut.

And that’s you done!

All you have to do is decide if you’ll create a space to keep the bags for the countdown or hang them up, or you could even put them in a basket.

DIY Cup Advent Calendar

A DIY Cup Advent Calendar is a delightful twist on the traditional countdown to Christmas we’re used to.

Offering a unique and customisable way to celebrate the festive season, its a fun project to get you hyped for Christmas.

This creative project involves using small cups, such as paper or plastic ones, each labeled with a number from 1 to 24.

What I really like about this one is you get to be super creative making it up and personalising it.

How to create your own DIY cup advent calendar

For this project you’re going to need:

• Paper Cups / Plastic Cups
• Paper / Tissue Paper
• Scissors
• Glue / Rubber Band
• Sharpie / Permanent Marker

Once you have your materials, it’s time to start making your advent.

With your cups you can decorate them however you like be that with stickers, paints, markers, decoupage etc… the choice is completely yours.

After you have finished decorating, it’s time to fill the cups with a small treat or surprise, that’s up to you.

When they are filled, simply arrange the cups in a festive display, maybe in the shape of a tree or a fun pattern on a table or wall.

Stocking/Pouch DIY Advent Calendar

Using a stocking advent calendar offers a creative and interactive way to count down the days to Christmas.

Instead of opening a cardboard door each day, this version involves hanging 24 small stockings or fabric pouches.

This is one of my favourites on the list because I’ve had a mini stocking one since I was around 4 years old.

It was a firm tradition in our house, and I’ll be creating some for my boys as well. I want them to have magical memories about the Christmas countdown.

Using a stocking or pouch advent is a great way to make the countdown feel extra special.

How to create your own stocking DIY advent calendar

To start you’ll need to figure out if you want to use a stocking advent or a pouch advent.

Once you’ve chosen, you can look into different ones such as already made for you stocking advent kits, or make your own by sewing them.

Choose what feels right for you.

I’d personally get one that’s already done but that’s because I’m not a great sewer, haha.

When you have your kit or the ones you’ve personally made, find a nice spot in your home.

This is where you can hang some string or ribbon for your advent.

Then, use clothespins or hooks to attach each stocking and arrange them how you like.

How you fill them is up to you, but make sure that the items fit inside.

And there you have it, your stocking or pouch advent calendar.

Final Thoughts on DIY Advent Calendar Ideas

Creating your own DIY Advent calendar is a fantastic festive activity that combines creativity, personalisation, and tradition.

These homemade advent calendars allow you to tailor the experience to your unique tastes and preferences.

Filling each day with small, meaningful surprises makes the countdown even more special.

Not only do they serve as a heartwarming countdown to Christmas, but they also offer an opportunity for loved ones to bond over crafting and decorating.

Posts you may like

• 18 Perfect Advent Calendars for Adults this Year [2025]
• 16 Perfect Advent Calendars for Children this Year [2025]

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