DIY Advent Calendar Kit

A countdown you put together yourself

Most advent calendars arrive finished: the same chocolate behind every door, chosen by someone who has never met your child. This kit works the other way round. You make the calendar first, then you decide what each day of December holds.

The filling is the part parents enjoy most. Picture an evening in late November, a pile of small surprises on the kitchen table, and you matching each one to a date: something quick for a school morning, something to linger over on the first Saturday of the holidays. Children can help put the boxes together, provided somebody else does the filling once they are in bed.

Triangle boxes or Christmas village boxes

The DIY advent calendar kit comes in two styles, selected from the options above.

• Triangle boxes: 9.5 x 8 cm each. The roomier of the two, better for a chunky surprise.
• Christmas village boxes: 5 to 5.5 cm by 7.5 to 8 cm each. Smaller, and lined up on a shelf or a windowsill they make a festive little street.
• Random: we choose one of the two styles for you.

Start from what you plan to put inside, not from the look. If you already have a stash of small figures or wrapped treats, measure the largest one. Anything close to 5 cm wide will be a squeeze in a village box and sits more comfortably in a triangle. If your surprises are flat or tiny, such as a note, a sticker or a single sweet, the village boxes do the job and give you more of a display.

What to put in each box

Think small and light. A box under 10 cm will not take a book or a soft toy, but it holds plenty of things a child is delighted to find:

• a mini Christmas toy, such as a tiny spinning top or a small figure;
• a folded note with a joke, a riddle or a line about something they did well this year;
• one part of something bigger, handed out a day at a time: the pieces of a small puzzle, or beads that end up as a bracelet by Christmas Eve;
• a sweet or a chocolate, on the days you decide.

You can also leave objects out altogether and turn it into an activity advent calendar. Write one thing to do together on a slip of paper for each day: bake biscuits, post a card to Grandma, walk round the neighbourhood to look at the lights, pick a toy to give away. Keep the weekday ideas to ten minutes or so and save the longer ones for weekends, otherwise the calendar turns into a to-do list for you.

A habit worth adopting: fill every box before the first of December and jot down what went where. When a child asks to swap two days, or a brother or sister has a peek, you will be glad of that list.

Why fill your own calendar

Because you know who it is for. A DIY advent calendar kit lets the contents follow a child's age and current obsession, go easy on sugar, and leave out anything too small when a baby brother or sister is around. With several children, you can slip one surprise per child into each box, or let them open alternate days.

If you would rather have everything ready on day one, our wooden advent calendar pack arrives with 25 toys already chosen. This kit is the opposite choice: you make the calendar and the contents are up to you. A child who likes the making as much as the opening may also enjoy the felt tree Christmas craft kit, another project for a dark December afternoon. And for the days when you want something that outlasts a chocolate, the smaller pieces among our wooden Montessori toys are a good place to look.

DIY advent calendar kit: common questions

What do you put in a DIY advent calendar?

Small surprises that fit a box under 10 cm: mini toys, notes, stickers, a sweet, or a slip of paper with an activity to share that day. Mixing objects and activities keeps the month varied.

How big are the advent calendar boxes?

The triangle boxes measure 9.5 x 8 cm. The Christmas village boxes measure 5 to 5.5 cm by 7.5 to 8 cm.

What is the difference between the triangle boxes and the Christmas village boxes?

Shape and size. The triangles are larger and take bulkier surprises. The village boxes are smaller and form a Christmas scene when you set them side by side.

What does the Random option mean?

We send one of the two styles, triangle or Christmas village, without you choosing. If you have your heart set on one look, select it by name instead.

Key details

• Kit to make your own advent calendar and fill it yourself
• Styles: triangle boxes, Christmas village boxes, or Random
• Triangle box: 9.5 x 8 cm
• Christmas village box: 5-5.5 x 7.5-8 cm
• Surprises not included: the contents are your choice
• 2-year guarantee