Surprise ideas
24 original Advent calendar ideas to fill it yourself
The hardest part of a homemade Advent calendar is finding 24 ideas. Here are 24 that work for everyone: a child, your parents, a friend, your sweetheart. Pick, mix and adapt: what matters is that every door comes from you.
Homemade, without glue or scissors: you write every door with your own words and photos, and the calendar does the rest.
A letter to start
Say why you made this calendar: a few lines are enough to set the tone for all 24 days.
A photo memory
A photo you both love, with the story behind it.
Good for one breakfast in bed
Croissants, hot chocolate, and no getting up allowed. Valid on a Sunday.
The song that brings you together
From car journeys, family parties or your fits of laughter. One link and off you go.
A quiz about you
Three questions about shared memories, with the answer revealed in one tap.
A riddle
A Christmas riddle to solve before dinner.
A scratch card
A secret revealed with a fingertip: an outing, a present, a promise.
Good for one outing
Christmas market, ice rink, cinema: the time, the place and what to wear are all in the door.
A countdown
To the holidays, a concert or a reunion: every day brings the big moment closer.
Something to make together
Cookies, paper snowflakes, a wreath: a little Christmas workshop.
A present hunt
The real present is hidden somewhere, with a clue in the door.
A voice message
Your voice instead of text: a few recorded words to play again and again.
A photo gallery
One photo per year, or every photo from the same trip.
Good for one helping hand
Tidying, DIY, tricky paperwork: you take care of it.
A family recipe
The one made every Christmas, to pass on or cook together.
Question of the day
“Your best Christmas memory?”: something to talk about tonight.
Good for one film night
Blanket, popcorn, and the person who gets the calendar chooses.
A story in episodes
A little tale you wrote yourself, to follow over several days.
What I love about you
Three things, simply. It’s often the most re-read door.
A Christmas playlist
A link to a selection made for the occasion.
The year in numbers
Miles travelled, coffees shared, fits of laughter: your year in review.
Good for one home-cooked meal
You cook, they get served.
Christmas Eve eve
A short note to say: “Only a few hours to go!”
The big surprise
A long letter, the last puzzle piece, and the real present.
Challenge and activity doors
Some doors are lived rather than read: a recipe to make together, a craft, a photo challenge, a lantern walk. In the calendar, an activity door shows how long it takes, the things to tick off and the steps.
Tip: alternate the kinds (a note, a voucher, a game…) and save the best for the 24th.
Put them in a 3D calendar
All these ideas fit in our 3D Advent calendar: you fill the doors (or start from a ready-written template), and the person you love opens one each day, on their phone.