12 Festive Advent Calendar Crafts

By
Lauren Murphy
Lauren Murphy
Lauren Murphy
Lauren Murphy is a crafting expert and writer with experience creating unusual but highly useful DIY projects. She shares her love of crafting projects ranging from DIY heating pads and cupcake stands to Ouija boards, cat scratching posts, stress balls, and more.
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Updated on 05/06/20
Numbered brown pieces of paper hung by string and clothespins.

Fresh Mommy Blog

No matter your age, you can appreciate the fun that comes with advent calendars. Advent calendars are wonderful ways to count down the days until Christmas when you’ll spend precious time with loved ones and celebrate the season.

Advent calendars allow you to open one (usually tiny) gift each day of December until the 25th. Most store-bought advent calendars include small chocolates in their boxes, offering a daily sweet treat before the holiday. Others offer things like small toys and trinkets to hold you over until the big day.
While the calendars from the store are fun, they don’t always offer the treats you really want for Christmas (we love DIY crochet animal pals). Plus, you can’t typically reuse them so you’ll have to purchase a new advent calendar each holiday season. 

But by DIY-ing your own advent calendar, you can reuse it for years to come and customize it with your favorite holiday treats.

  • 01 of 12

    Hanging DIY Advent Calendar

    Hanging brown and white packages on a tree branch garland.
    Barbell In The Kitchen

    No sewing is required for this DIY advent calendar. Using some greenery and festive packaging, you can make a hanging advent calendar that doubles as a beautiful holiday decoration.
    DIY Advent Calendar from Barbell In The Kitchen

  • 02 of 12

    Village Advent Calendar

    A village of houses made from paper lit up with white twinkly lights.
    A Beautiful Mess

    This DIY puts a whole new spin on advent calendar. Instead of a static sheet with numbers on it, holiday treasures are hidden inside DIY numbered paper houses. Jumble up the numbers to make finding the day’s box a little more interactive and fun. Bonus: This advent calendar will look magical on your mantle.
    Advent Village DIY from A Beautiful Mess

  • 03 of 12

    Modern DIY Advent Calendar

    Modern black and white advent calendar on a board sitting on a mantle.
    Happy Grey Lucky

    Minimalists, rejoice. If we could describe this craft in three words, it would be simple, sleek and modern.

    DIY Modern, Scandinavian Advent Calendar With Free Printable from Happy Grey Lucky

  • 04 of 12

    Advent Garland

    Small drawstring bags with festive designs on them.
    Wolves in London

    With the printable template included in this tutorial, you can create your own DIY hanging advent garland with ease. You’ll just need an iron and transfer paper to get the designs onto small fabric drawstring bags.
    DIY Advent Calendar from Wolves in London

    Continue to 5 of 12 below.
  • 05 of 12

    Magnetic Advent Calendar

    Magnetic numbered cylinders arranged in the shape of a Christmas tree.
    Twig & Thistle

    If you’re lacking in space or you just don’t want to put more holes in the wall, this magnetic DIY advent calendar is your solution. It’s space-saving and simple in the best way.
    Magnetic Holiday Advent Calendar DIY from Twig & Thistle

  • 06 of 12

    Advent Calendar Boxes

    Small bottle brush trees glued to white numbered boxes.
    Make Life Lovely

    Even those without a crafty bone in their body will be able to follow this tutorial to create mini advent calendar boxes. Fill them with small toys and candy to watch your kids’ faces light up each day until Christmas.
    Advent Calendar Boxes DIY For Giving This Christmas from Make Life Lovely

  • 07 of 12

    Wall Art Advent Calendar

    A wall art advent calendar in a wood frame with large green numbers.
    Our Home Made Easy

    Add some holiday cheer to your wall with a simple, Christmas-themed advent calendar. If you have access to a few power tools, this DIY will be even easier.
    Easy DIY Advent Calendar from Our Home Made Easy

  • 08 of 12

    Hanging Stockings Advent Calendar

    Small red stockings hanging on dowels.
    A Beautiful Mess

    Perhaps the most classic Christmas decoration is a big, red Santa stocking. This tutorial will show you how to make several numbered mini stockings and transform them into a DIY advent calendar.
    Heirloom Advent Calendar DIY from A Beautiful Mess

    Continue to 9 of 12 below.
  • 09 of 12

    Activity Advent Calendar

    Numbered brown pieces of paper hung by string and clothespins.
    Fresh Mommy Blog

    Instead of filling your advent calendar with sugary treats and plastic junk, make these fun (and free) activity-focused surprises. This blog includes a number of ideas for yours, like going ice skating and baking cookies.
    Our Christmas DIY Advent Calendar from Fresh Mommy Blog

  • 10 of 12

    Colorful Hanging Advent Calendar

    Pink and copper ornaments hanging from string from a tree branch.
    Bird's Party

    If a princess was somehow turned into an advent calendar, this is what it would look like: whimsical, colorful and sparkly. But our favorite part of this DIY is that it’s completely customizable. Easily change the color scheme to whatever fits your mood or already-established home decor.
    Pink & Copper DIY Advent Calendar from Bird’s Party

  • 11 of 12

    Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

    Mini bottle brush trees glued to clear cork bottles with numbers on them.
    Your DIY Family

    You can find mini bottle brush trees and mini cork bottles at most hobby shops. If you can’t, head to the great world wide web to snag them before you make this stunning Christmas tree advent calendar for the holidays.
    DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar from Your DIY Family

  • 12 of 12

    Boozy Advent Calendar DIY

    Green and red decorated beer bottles inside a box filled with decorative paper.
    Chasin' Mason

    Adults only, please! For your favorite human over the age of 21, make a booze-filled advent calendar to give them a little dose of alcoholic joy each day leading up to the holiday. You can use beer, wine or other spirits. And of course, you can customize this to be alcohol-free by swapping out the booze for fizzy juices or craft sodas.
    DIY Beer Advent Calendar from Chasin’ Mason

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