The practical thing about homemade Advent calendars is that you decide how much money you want to spend on the contents. You can also deliberately tailor the gifts to a person and thus give them very personal joy. However, before you rush into crafting and laboriously pack the 24 surprises, you can also save yourself time and use a ready-made set that contains everything you need to fill an Advent calendar: from the packaging to decorative elements to matching stickers for the number of days.
1. Felt bag
This set includes 24 felt and jute bags that you can reuse every year – for this reason the material is also washable. The shapes, colors and prints vary from one another, so that the Advent calendar offers a colorful mix. So that you can mark the individual days, the set also includes 24 stickers that you can attach to the outside of the gifts. The packages are then simply hung on the wall using the cord provided.
2. Paper Boxes
This Advent calendar, consisting of 24 small paper boxes with Christmas motifs, is suitable for small (and large) children. The sturdy boxes are of different sizes and must be folded before filling – but you don’t need any tools for this. You can then fill the boxes with toys or small treats and close them again. Since the boxes don’t need to be sealed, you can reuse them next year.
3. Jute bag
This set of 24 opaque fabric bags is just as sustainable as it is practical: eight blue, eight gray and eight yellow. The size (10 x 14 cm) of the individual bags is always the same, so the contents always have to be approximately the same size. Once the jute bags are filled, they can be closed using a string. The included clips and the ten meter long hemp rope are then used to attach the Advent calendar. At the end all you have to do is attach the 24 stickers to the bags.
4. Coffee mug
Unlike ordinary coffee cups that you throw in the trash after use, these containers are reusable: The 24 cups can be decorated with whatever you want – everything you need is in this set. There is enough space in the cups for small and large surprises, and apart from that, the Advent calendar looks great. Coffee lovers in particular will be particularly pleased with this version, but there are also different models for even more choice.
5. Paper bags
For adults in a simple design as well as for children in a reindeer look, simple paper bags offer plenty of space for 24 beautiful gift ideas. The natural brown covers are unthreaded, so they don’t have a hole, but they can be easily set up using their cross base – or you can punch a hole in each bag yourself and then hang them up. Unfortunately, once the filled packets with the 24 stickers have been sealed, they cannot be reused. However, the paper is completely biodegradable.
6. Gift Box
Instead of buying a pre-filled Advent calendar, you can take on this task yourself. This practical gift box, which has 24 compartments that you can equip individually, is ideal for this. After you have closed the calendar, its high-quality design will make it look exactly like you bought it. The personal touch is provided by the desired text, which you can specify in advance and which is then printed on the gift box before it is delivered to you.
7. Fabric Advent Calendar
If you don’t feel like wrapping each gift individually, this fabric Advent calendar is a practical alternative: You can hide small treats, toys or vouchers in the 24 sewn-on pockets – then you can hang the calendar up using loops. And here too, the material has the advantage that it can be washed and reused next year. If this version isn’t Christmassy enough for you, there’s also a snowman version.
8. Wooden Advent Calendar
The nutcracker is a classic at Christmas time – also in the form of an Advent calendar: The 24 numbered drawers offer enough space to fill and can be used every year. Thanks to its visually appealing shape, the nutcracker serves both as a calendar and as a decoration. The only important thing here is that you hide small gifts in them, otherwise the drawers cannot be closed or reveal the contents. You can find other motifs here.
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