Kids will be thrilled! A collection of DIY Christmas advent calendar ideas
How about turning the countdown to Christmas into an even more exciting time? If you make your own Advent calendar, the joy of opening each day becomes something special.
Here, we’ll introduce a variety of DIY Advent calendars you can create with 100-yen shop items: box-style and gift-bag types, space-saving board styles, and house-shaped versions made with origami.
These ideas use everyday materials like plastic cups, paper bags, and coffee filters, so they’re perfect for making together with your kids.
Choosing the sweets or messages to tuck inside will also become one of your cherished Christmas memories!
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Kids will be thrilled! Handmade ideas for Christmas advent calendars (21–30)
No-sew felt stocking-shaped advent calendar
When you think of something to put Christmas presents in, stockings come to mind, right? This advent calendar uses felt pouches shaped like stockings, hung up like a garland to create the calendar.
The felt stockings are easy to make in any size you like.
Unlike store-bought advent calendar boxes that can be too small, these let you gift items that wouldn’t otherwise fit, so it’s especially recommended for those who want the freedom to choose the contents! Since it’s made just by cutting and gluing, it’s easy to try even if you’re not good at sewing.
Embroidery Advent Calendar
An advent calendar that feels like a tapestry, made by sewing pieces of fabric together.
It uses panel fabric and builds individual pockets, giving it a soft look that’s a major feature.
Because you place treats in the numbered pockets, it can be used year after year, which is also appealing.
The pocket section works on its own, but if you layer fabric and leave a margin around the edges, you can add ornaments and other embellishments—so try exploring different variations.
Kids Will Love It! Handmade Ideas for Christmas Advent Calendars (31–40)
Nordic-style advent calendar with drawstring pouches
Let’s try making a handmade advent calendar that lets you count down each day until Christmas using only items from the dollar store.
If you choose chic, natural colors and textures, you can create a stylish, Scandinavian-inspired calendar.
Prepare bags made from natural materials, such as burlap sacks, and fill them with small gifts or chocolates—one for each day.
Arrange the bags in date order, and you’re done.
Tie on a few handmade Christmas ornaments here and there to make it even more charming.
Incorporating natural materials like pinecones or driftwood is also a lovely touch.
Advent calendar of Santa outfits made with origami
Speaking of Christmas presents, Santa is an essential figure.
His bright red outfit leaves a memorable impression, as if it lights up Christmas itself.
This is an advent calendar that incorporates Santa’s outfit design.
Make little bags from red origami paper, draw lines with a black pen to create the belt, and use white stickers to represent the buttons.
The vivid red look is festive, so it blends in naturally as a decoration on the Christmas tree—that’s a key point.
You could make every date a Santa, but if you make only Christmas Day a Santa, it might heighten the anticipation for the big day even more.
Advent calendar made from milk cartons
It’s an advent calendar where you open rooms made from milk cartons one by one.
Cut the milk cartons to the same width, arrange them into the shape of the design you want to make, and glue them together.
After placing candy or small toys in each room, attach a lid to each one.
The key is to use a sturdy material like cardstock for the back to keep the shape from collapsing, and a light material like origami paper for the front so it’s easy to tear open and take out the contents.
The classic, stable option is to make it in the shape of a Christmas tree, but incorporating other Christmas motifs could be fun too.
Paper cup advent calendar
This is a simple advent calendar made with paper cups filled with treats.
Pack candies into the cups, attach lids and numbers, and arrange them in a triangular, tree-like tower.
Paper cups actually hold more than you’d expect, so being able to pack in plenty of goodies is another plus.
Let the excitement of the approaching Christmas and the joy of getting treats help make up for the bittersweet feeling as the tree’s shape changes.
You can also glue green construction paper onto the cups to make them look even more like a Christmas tree.
100-yen shop kit
Which 100-yen shop do you use most often? There are various ones like Watts, Daiso, and Can Do, but Seria, which is said to have a relatively stylish selection, actually sells a kit for making an advent calendar.
Handmade is wonderful, but creating everything from scratch does take quite a bit of time.
Why not pick up just the basic framework of the advent calendar at a 100-yen shop? That way, you can spend more time choosing the sweets and charms to put inside! Highly recommended for those short on time.