Create memories, not just moments.
If you love the excitement of a classic advent calendar, then you’ll love this new holiday tradition.
Today, I am sharing a fun and creative way to bring a little more magic and into your holiday season: an Activity Advent Calendar.
Think of it as a 25-day countdown to Christmas, but rather than chocolates or small trickers, you surprise yourself with a daily holiday activity instead.
TABLE OF CONTENT
- What Is An Activity Advent Calendar
- Why You Should Do An Activity Advent Calendar This Year
- How to Make Your Own Activity Advent Calendar
- Sample of Activity Advent Calendar
What Is An Activity Advent Calendar
An activity advent calendar is a creative way to countdown to Christmas with an activity instead of gifts.
This twist on tradition is a wonderful way to bring a little joy to each day by doing something special—whether it’s baking cookies, decorating your home, or even doing something nice for someone else.
For each day of December leading up to Christmas, you fill the advent calendar with a fun, holiday-themed, or meaningful activity of your liking.
The beauty of this idea is that it’s completely customizable to your style, your family, and your holiday traditions.
Why You Should Do An Activity Advent Calendar This Year
An activity advent calendar is an experience that can be enjoyed not just by yourself but also with friends, and family. Here are 5 reasons why you should give a this calendar a try:
- Adds extra joy to your day — Having something to look forward to each day keeps you excited and engaged with the holiday season.
- Customisable — It’s a DIY calendar that can be personalised to your needs, holiday traditions and preferences.
- Sparks creativity — Because it’s customisable, you can design this calendar however you like, using designs and materials of your choice, and pick experiences that suit your needs.
- Creates special memories — Whether you’re enjoying this calendar by yourself, with family or someone special in your life, this advent calendar is a great way to create meaningful moments.
- Improves mental health — Besides adding more joy in your life, the daily activity can give a break from holiday overwhelm and time back to yourself.
How To Make Your Own Activity Advent Calendar
The creation process is simple, fun, and you get to customise all 25 experiences. Here 3 steps to making your own advent calendar:
1. Choose your format
The first step to making your advent calendar is to decide on the format. How do you want your calendar to look like? How do you want to feel from each unwrapping experience?
Here are some fun suggestions to try:
- Pre-made advent calendar — Repurpose a traditional Advent calendar or buy a new one. Nowadays, many store-bought calendar come with pockets or boxes that can be reused for future use.
- DIY — Get crafty and create your own calendar from envelopes, boxes, single socks or even mason jars! You could attach a number to them, hang them by the fireplace, stick them on the fridge or stick 25 post-its on the wall with an activity at the back of each paper.
- Simple and easy — Create a bingo card or simply write all 25 activities on a paper calendar.
- Go digital — If you like to go paperless, a virtual option would be a great choice. You could set up a calendar reminder for each day, use a reminder app, or even a social media post announcing the day’s activity.
2. Customise your activities
The best part about an activity advent calendar is that you can personalise it to your own liking. Think about the activities you’d like to do or experience this holiday season, hobbies that brings you joy or things that you’ve been wanting to do but never got the chance to.
You can also tailor your calendar to specific theme or mix it up with a variety of activities. Here are some advent calendar bucket list ideas:
- Family activities — Plan fun, child-friendly activities like decorating the tree, building a snowman, making Christmas socks or writing holiday cards for family members.
- Couple activities — Have cozy nights with mulled wine and cheese, or hot chocolate and holiday movies, or an indoor winter picnic.
- Alone activities — Treat yourself to self-care activities like a bubble bath, journaling, or a gong bath meditation.
Home alone this holiday? Here’s our guide on how to spend Christmas alone and 71 fun things to do by yourself
- Activities with friends — Plan get-togethers, like a gingerbread house decorating party, or spend a day volunteering together at a local charity.
- Activities with pets — Organise a holiday photo session with your pet or host an ugly pet sweater party.
- Relaxing activities: Indulge yourself to a relaxing at home spa and manicure, sip on dark peppermint hot chocolate, read a holiday book, or meditate with dim lit candles.
- Creative activities: Make DIY ornaments, create a holiday wreath from scratch, or try a new holiday recipes.
- Outdoor activities: Go snowboarding or snowshoeing, visit the Christmas market or take a walk to see the Christmas lights.
- Acts of kindness: Volunteer, donate to a food bank, or give strangers heartfelt compliments.
Need more holiday inspirations? Be sure to check out our best Christmas bucket list ideas!
3. Have fun
Creating this calendar should be fun, and experiencing it should be even more enjoyable!
Once you have created 25 activities, it’s time to put them all together in the format that you like. Whether the format is something crafty or simple and straightforward, be sure to mix up the activities so you get a variety of everything.
Also, you don’t want to over-schedule yourself, feel stressed or unenthusiastic by the activities. So aim for activities that are simple, gives you joy, and requires little to no preparation. The goal is to add fun, festive elements to your day without overloading your schedule.
Sample of Activity Advent Calendar
Still not quite sure? Here’s a sample list of activities to get your ideas flowing:
- Day 1 — Create holiday playlist and share it with friends and family.
- Day 2 — Decorate your home in Christmas aesthetics.
- Day 3 — Make and decorate a gingerbread house with family or friends.
- Day 4 — Write holiday cards to someone you love.
- Day 5 — Go for a stroll around your neighborhood to admire the Christmas lights and decorations.
- Day 6 — Learn a new holiday recipe.
- Day 7 — Create a DIY ornament for your tree.
- Day 8 — Volunteer or donate to a local charity.
- Day 9 — Sleep under the Christmas tree.
- Day 10 — Host a holiday-themed board game night or puzzle challenge.
- Day 11 — Have a winter picnic in the living room with blankets and seasonal treats.
- Day 12 — Make mulled wine from scratch.
- Day 13 — Journal about your New Year goals and resolutions.
- Day 14 — Invite friends over for chat while making Christmas cookies.
- Day 15 — Do yoga by the fireplace.
- Day 16 — Go for a candle lit bubble bath with your favourite glass of wine or drink.
- Day 17 — Watch a Christmas movie with your favourite drink and snacks.
- Day 18 — Go ice skating.
- Day 19 — Write a gratitude list.
- Day 20 — Create a New Year vision board.
- Day 21 — Do a full-day movie or tv series marathon.
- Day 22 — Be spontaneous and join a local event that’s happening in town.
- Day 23 — Learn a new DIY craft on YouTube.
- Day 24 — Visit the Christmas market.
- Day 25 — Wear that outfit or jewellery that you’ve always want to wear.
If you’re feeling inspired, start building your own activity advent calendar today! Remember, the holidays are about enjoying the small moments—let’s make this December extra special.
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