19 DIY Advent Calendars for Adults

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Updated 10/08/19

Wooden Trees Advent Calendar — The Merry Thought

Countdown to Christmas with one of these DIY advent calendars. From traditional to modern designs, there are fun and grown-up calendar ideas to try this holiday season.

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Chalkboard Advent Calendar

The Merrythought

Hang this lovely DIY chalkboard advent calendar in your home that you can customize with different activities to make, do or give.
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Tree Ornament Advent Calendar

Tatertots and Jello

Instead of the typical advent calendar countdown the days until Christmas by making huge, numbered ornaments that say how many days there are until Christmas with this original DIY idea.
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Star Garland Advent Calendar

A Beautiful Mess

Decorate 24 papier-mâché star boxes and string them together to create your own star garland advent calendar that you can hang in your home. Each of the small boxes can be filled with small prizes so that each day leading up to Christmas your child gets a new gift.
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Minimal Advent Calendar

Homey Oh My

Use mini tree stickers to decorate white paper bags for each of the days on the advent calendar. The completed bags can then be filled with a prize and hung on the wall.

Continue to 5 of 19 below.
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Paper Bag Advent Calendar

Tell Love Party

For an inexpensive DIY project, use paper bags to create a beautiful advent calendar for your family to enjoy opening this holiday season.
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Paper Trees Advent Calendar

A Bubbly Life

Craft simple paper trees out of rolled paper and label each with a number to help your family count down to Christmas.
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Paper Advent Village

Delia Creates

Using a Silhouette machine cut a variety of mini houses out of paper to create an advent village to display around your home leading up to Christmas.
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Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

Sarah Hearts

Paint a Christmas tree on plywood and from the painted tree hang metal clips to hang sheets of paper for each day with instructions on what to do along with a photo.

Continue to 9 of 19 below.
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Chalkboard Advent Tree

Oh Happy Day

Hang mini chalkboard boxes that are each numbered and filled with a toy on a small tabletop Christmas tree to craft your own advent tree.
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Hanging Advent Calendar

The Merry Thought

Bring in the smell of pine trees into your home by hanging a pine branch, and tie small packaged gifts from the branch for your child to unwrap each day until Christmas morning.
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Advent Calendar for Adults

Stephanie White Travels

While typically advent calendars are aimed for children, this advent calendar is perfect for adults who want to make the most of the holiday season. For the 24 days until Christmas, there is an activity card of something fun to do that is Christmas themed.
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Paper Trees Advent Countdown

A Subtle Revelry

Get your child excited for Christmas by having them open up a small box filled with a surprise for the 24 days before Christmas.

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Take-Out Boxes Advent Calendar

Studio DIY

Grab a multi-pack of take-out boxes and fill each box with candy or small toy and number each box to create a modern advent calendar this Christmas.
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Candy Advent Calendar Wreath

Oh Happy Day

Create a fun candy bonbon advent wreath using crêpe paper that will add a burst of color to your holiday decor.
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Wrapped Gifts Advent Calendar

North Story

Use toilet paper rolls to act as small boxes that can be filled with a prize and decorated with a ribbon and a number. Attach the toilet paper rolls in sequential order onto a board, and the wrapped advent calendar is an affordable way to decorate your home for Christmas.
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Wooden Trees Advent Calendar

The Merry Thought

This weekend craft 24 mini birch plywood trees that can be used to form an advent calendar forest to decorate your home this holiday season.

Continue to 17 of 19 below.
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Instagram Advent Frame

Thinking Closet

Showcase your favorite memories from the year by assembling your own Instagram advent frame so that each day leading up till Christmas you reveal a new photo. Following Christmas, you will be able to continue using the Instagram frame to easily display new photos by clipping the photos to the strings running horizontally across the frame.
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Tree Boxes Advent Calendar

Tell Love And Party

Decorate your home for Christmas by learning how to make these minimal advent tree boxes out of card stock in shades of green and gold to display on your coffee table.
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Punch Box Advent Calendar

Studio DIY

This DIY punch box advent calendar is a fun twist on the traditional advent calendar. Each day leading up till Christmas invite your child to punch through one of the 24 circles to gain access to the small toy or candy inside that section of the box.