Fun DIY Advent Calendar!

A couple years ago, I made an advent calendar for the kids out of a bunch of mismatched socks I knew I was never going to find matches for.

It was a little bit cheesy, but I spent zero money on it and the kids loved it.

It lasted for two years before it fell apart.

I wanted to make another one this year, but I needed it to be inexpensive. Plus, I wanted it to last for a few years, and I didn’t want it to take too long to put together.

I also wanted it to be mostly an “activity” advent calendar.

 editor’s note: this post contains affiliate links that will give me a small commission at no extra cost to you should you purchase anything through them. 

So here’s what I got:

• a plastic over the door shoe holder ($8.99)
• 2 packs of 12 goody bags from the dollar store ($2)
• ribbon from the dollar store (I only used two — $2)
• 8 x 5 index cards (already had those)
• foam stars (already had those)

I spent a total of $13.

First, I dressed up the shoe holder.

Then I cut the index cards in half.

I numbered half of them 1 – 24.

On the other half, I wrote the activities/treats I planned for the calendar.

I chose from this list:

Make Christmas Cookies

Go to the movies!

Make Christmas ornaments

Write someone a Christmas card

Watch Polar Express

Watch Rudolph

Watch Home Alone

Play Christmas Charades

Candy cane!

Donuts and hot chocolate for breakfast

Make gingerbread houses

Go into NYC!!!

Kent gingerbread festival (free)

Lights at Hubbard Park (free)

Deliver cookies to neighbors

Perform a random act of kindness

Give each family member a compliment

Sing Christmas carols at nursing home

Make snowflakes

Make a paper chain

Color in a Christmas picture

Take a nature walk – find pine cones (to make Christmas decorations later)

Make milk jug snowmen

Make your own wreath

Make an Elf Yourself Ornament

Next I took the list of activities and looked at the calendar for December.

I planned the activities around basketball games and swim meets and wrote them all down in my journal so I’d remember what I had planned for when.

Then I put the index card and any other stuff necessary into each bag.

I found some movie tickets someone gave us a few months ago. The kids are going to go crazy when they get that one because we never go to the movies.

Last year we did Christmas charades and laughed so hard.

The bags come in handy for the charade picks, and they also keep each day a surprise. But because I’m no dummy, I taped them shut, too.

Then I slid each bag into its corresponding pocket.

How cute is that?

Easy, quick, inexpensive, reusable parts (I’ll just have to replace the bags and some of the activities next year), looks good on the door, and it should last a while!

If you want to make this for your family but don’t have all the supplies and want to save yourself some time, here are amazon links to everything you need:

Hot glue gun

Over The Door Shoe Organizer

Goodie Bags

Index Cards

Foam Stickers

Enjoy!