Handmade Advent calendar ideas: stylish ways to decorate
In December, there’s the Advent calendar that lets you count the days until Christmas.
You open one box or paper bag each day and enjoy the countdown to Christmas.
You can buy ready-made ones, but many people might prefer to make their own if they’re going to the trouble, right?
In this article, we’ll show you how to make Advent calendars using a variety of materials, as well as how to display them.
Using supplies from 100-yen shops, you can easily create one by hand—so give it a try!
- Kids will be thrilled! A collection of DIY Christmas advent calendar ideas
- Handmade tear-off calendar ideas that will lift your mood all day!
- [Easy and Simple] Popular DIY Ideas You Can Make with Materials from 100-Yen Shops
- How to Make Handmade Christmas Boots [Great for Crafts with Kids and as Decorations!]
- Easy handmade Christmas crafts: ideas you'll want to display
- For seniors: Introducing handmade decoration ideas to welcome a wonderful Christmas
- Easy Christmas crafts to enjoy with kids! Make them with everyday materials.
- Let's make it with 100-yen shop materials! A roundup of Christmas craft ideas
- Stylish ways to wrap with wrapping paper: A roundup of cute gift-wrapping ideas
- Christmas decorations with dollar-store items: a collection of easy yet eye-catching DIY ideas
- [Christmas] Handmade Gift Box Idea Collection
- Stylish handmade Christmas decorations
- Let's make New Year’s decorations by hand! A collection of ideas you can create with everyday materials.
How-to ideas (21–30)
three-dimensional tree type
Let’s try making a standout 3D tree-shaped advent calendar that will look lovely even in your entryway.
The finished look is like stacking small boxes to form a tall, slender pyramid.
Use mostly green boxes with a touch of red to get a more Christmassy feel.
Decorate with things like cotton “snow” and Santa figurines.
If you have a Christmas tree at home, you can also tie the small boxes directly onto the tree.
It’s a great activity for the whole family, and you can even do a mini gift exchange!
Advent calendar you can send
Introducing a “mailable advent calendar” you can make using boxes commonly used for online flea market and auction shipping.
First, prepare a mailing box—you can usually buy one at 100-yen shops.
Next, put 24 small gifts into paper bags.
Make the paper bags using origami paper, chiyogami, or pretty wrapping paper.
Don’t forget to label the bags with the dates from the 1st to the 24th.
Then, using double-sided tape, attach them inside the box in reverse date order—and you’re done.
The thrill of opening a bag every day lasts all the way until Christmas! You’ve just got to make one!
Decoration ideas (1–10)
Easy! How to Make an Advent Calendar
When you want to make an advent calendar, it often overlaps with the busy season leading up to the end of the year.
So here are some ideas for an advent calendar you can make easily.
Prepare small bags, stick date labels on them, and put the contents inside.
Close the opening, punch a hole, thread a string through, and you’re done! The key is to close the bag so it forms a three-dimensional triangle.
If the design feels a bit plain, try decorating with Christmas stickers.
You can display them however you like, but hanging them with string makes them perfect as Christmas ornaments, too.
House-shaped Advent calendar
How about making house-shaped Christmas ornaments out of kraft paper? They’re simple and stylish, and if you put candy inside, they become an advent calendar.
First, prepare a house-shaped template and cut the kraft paper.
Next, use a white pen to draw roof patterns, windows, and a door.
Fold it up, apply glue to the tabs, and assemble.
Then punch a hole in the roof and thread a string in your favorite color through it.
Put in your child’s favorite treats, attach another string, and hang it on the Christmas tree.
The window and roof patterns will look cute in a variety of colors, too!
Origami Boots Advent Calendar
A Christmas stocking advent calendar is a festive idea that also works as a wall decoration.
Make the stockings with origami and tuck individually wrapped candies into the pocket-like part.
Write the dates with a pen, add holly made from another small piece of origami, and it’s done! The stockings only take a few folds, so even kids can give it a try.
The holly here is made with small origami paper and red round stickers, but you can also draw it or use other stickers.
Making the stockings in several colors will make the display even more vibrant.