Make a fun DIY advent tree calendar the kids will adore! 

I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making my own advent calendar so this year I decided to give it a go. This advent calendar was very cheap to make, since it was just from re-purposed stuff we already had around the home. I have to admit it took longer than I thought, but then gift wrapping often does and it was a good reminder not to leave all my Christmas gift wrapping until the night before.

How to make a DIY Advent Calendar Tree

For the tree we used the lolly tree I made for Miss K’s Enchanted Forest Fairy Party, and we gave it a makeover. The tree was essentially just a bunch of sticks stuck into an old milo tin with plaster of Paris. The girls gave me lots of help painting it white.

It’s certainly not a perfect job with lots of bare patches of brown stick showing through but we love it anyway.

We took a super idea from My Little Bookcase and wrapped up all our Christmas books to put under the tree. We’ll unwrap one a day and read them through December. I stopped by our local second hand shops and found a few more to bulk up the collection, including this 1962 edition of the Nativity Story, A Star Shone. It’s really very beautiful with gorgeous old illustrations and I picked it up for only 50¢ – bargain! We still don’t have 24 books but some are chapter books so they’ll take longer to read anyway and my bet is we’ll still be unwrapping and reading these once Christmas is over.

I wrapped the books up with kraft paper layered with kids art and they really look quite pretty.

While I did the wrapping the girls beaded pipe cleaners with plastic beads and bells for extra decorations. That wasn’t on the plan, but they do add a special touch to the tree and kept the girls occupied for a long time so we’re all happy. 

The advent packages are cardboard tubes cut up into sections and stuffed with surprises. I went on a scavenger hunt around the home and pulled out some little toys from the girls toybox (cheapskate!), plus buttons, bottle lids, bells etc. I ran out of “surprises” and ended up adding chocolates as well, but that’s OK at Christmas time. I wrapped the packages up in some tie dyed paper towel, using up the last of the stash we had kept form our tie-dyeing session last month. Previously we used it for halloween window decals as well as paper towel Christmas crackers.

Ta-da! What do you think? Here I’ve photographed it on the dining table but that’s just because it’s hard to get a good shot of it in front of the window where it sits, adding lots of Christmas cheer to our living area. We love how pretty it turned out and I think it adds a real handmade touch to our home. So much better than chocolates in a cardboard box!

More Advent Calendar craft ideas:

• Make a paper bag advent calendar for a quick and easy option
• Try this arty advent calendar idea for something the kids can help with
• For filling your calendar you could try adding these fascinating Christmas facts

There are loads more ideas on our Christmas Crafts board on Pinterest. 

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