Christmas is full of fun traditions and one great way to get your family excited about the holiday season is by giving them Advent Calendars. Here is the Ultimate list of Advent Calendar Gift Ideas for 2024 for the whole family!
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Is an Advent Calendar a Good Christmas Gift?
2024 Advent Calendars for Everyone on Your List:
(Click to jump to section)
- Advent Calendar Ideas for Children & Teens
- STEM Advent Calendar Ideas
- Fandom Advent Calendars – Your Favorite TV Shows and Games
- 2024 LEGO Advent Calendars
- Skincare Advent Calendars for Adults
- Foodie Advent Calendars
- Coffee, Cocoa, and Tea Advent Calendars
- Chocolate Advent Calendars
- Luxury Advent Calendars
Common questions about giving an Advent Calendar as a Gift
Depending on the recipient an Advent Calendar might be a great gift idea. Advent calendars are especially great gift ideas for someone who loves surprises. Having a small gift to open up each day for 24 days is super fun for most people. It’s a great gift idea to send to a long-distance friend too!
In the past we have typically given our children their advent calendars on Thanksgiving. The grandparents have included it in our annual Thanksgiving celebration and often make the kids go on a scavenger hunt to find them. If you are mailing your advent calendar gift, you may want to send it right before Thanksgiving, mid-November so it has time to arrive.
You might be wondering what are some things you can put in an advent calendar. If you are using an empty Advent calendar or a DIY Advent calendar you might need to come up with things to put behind the doors of the Advent calendar. Some good ideas include chocolates, candies, mini figurines (like legos), small skincare or beauty products, coupons for special outings or events, etc.
The first year we did advent calendars we wondered, “Do you start with 1 or 24 on Lego advent calendar?” Each day on the advent calendar is meant to represent the day of the month, so you should start with 1 for day 1 of the advent season.
Advent Calendar Gift Ideas for Kids
Kids love this annual tradition! Children have so much fun finding a daily surprise each day leading up to Christmas. There are lots of unique advent calendars to try, you are sure to find the right type of advent calendar that is perfect for your child.
Advent calendars have come a long way since I was a child. We had a little paper Christmas countdown calendar with a little piece of chocolate behind each daily “door”. Even though it was little it was a special treat that we looked forward to and quickly became one of our favorite memories. Opening up a door to find a mini surprise each morning has become a fun tradition!
Below is a huge list of Advent Calendar ideas for kids. You’re sure to find something special for this year!
LEGO
There are so many awesome ideas out there. Our all-time favorite is a LEGO advent calendar. These are classic toys that our children have always loved. They still love opening up the little gifts every day leading up to Christmas day.
- Marvel Spider-Man LEGO Advent Calendar – Shop Amazon | Shop TARGET
- Disney Princess LEGO Advent Calendar – Shop AMAZON | Shop TARGET
- Star Wars Lego Advent Calendar – Shop AMAZON | Shop TARGET
- Friends LEGO Advent Calendar – Shop AMAZON | Shop TARGET
- Harry Potter LEGO Advent Calendar – Shop AMAZON | Shop TARGET
- City LEGO 2024 Advent Calendar – Shop AMAZON | Shop TARGET
These are the most popular toy advent calendars out there and they sell out FAST! Choose from several different themes. Our children have received these every year, thanks to their grandparents and they always look forward to opening a new toy every day. (for ages 6+)
For Children
There are new advent calendars put out every year perfect for kids of all ages. From your child’s favorite TV or Movie Character, to crafts, games and more!
- Bluey: Awesome Advent Book
- Bluey’s Exclusive Advent Calendar
- Melissa and Doug Countdown to Christmas Wooden Advent Calendar – Shop TARGET
- Emotional Support Plush Toy Advent Calendar
- Disney Doorables Advent Calendar – Shop AMAZON | SHOP TARGET
- Paw Patrol Advent Calendar
- Pokémon Advent Calendar
- Disney Princess Beauty Advent Calendar
- Sonic the Hedgehog – Shop AMAZON | Shop TARGET
- Kid’s Advent Calendar with Craft, Jewelry and More
- Mochi Squichies Advent Calendar
- Alloy Construction Vehicles
- Mini Brands: Disney Advent
- Minecraft Game Advent Calendar
- Family Games Advent Calendar
- Jewelry Advent Calendar
⬇ Keep Scrolling for more Advent ideas your kids might like: STEM, Chocolates, Snacks, and more!
STEM Advent Calendar Ideas
- National Geographic Rock Collection Advent Calendar
- National Geographic Magic Advent Calendar
- Lab Experiments Science Advent Calendar
- Shocking Science Advent Calendar
⬇ Keep Scrolling for more Advent Calendars: Fandom (Tv Shows, Gaming, etc.) Treats and Snacks, Chocolates, and Advent Calendars for Adults.
Fandom Advent Calendars
- Funko Pop! Stranger Things
- Funko Pop! The Office
- Funko Pop! The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Funko Pop! Pixar
- Funko Pop! Disney
- Funko Pop! Harry Potter
- Funko Pop! Star Wars
- Bridgerton Tea 8-Day Count Down
- William Sonoma Harry Potter Advent Calendar – Gourmet Harry Potter candies and sweets
- Funko Pop! Dragonball Z
- Friends TV Show Advent Calendar
⬇ Keep Scrolling for more Advent Calendars: Skincare Advent Calendars, Food & Snack, Luxury Advent Calendars, and more!
Skincare & Beauty Advent Calendars
Advent Calendars can be a special tradition that the kids look forward to this time of year. But why should the kids have all the fun? This year I pulled together a list of skin-care and beauty advent calendar ideas for adults!
For Foodies
- Walker’s Shortbread Advent Calendar
- Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark Advent Calendar
- Williams Sonoma 12-days of Cheese
- Sugarfina Gourmet Candy Advent Calendar
- Bonne Maman Jams, Jellies, and Spreads
- McCrea’s Candies Advent Calendar
- Amish Country Popcorn
⬇ Keep Scrolling for Coffee, Tea, Hot Cocoa, Chocolate, and Candy Advent Calendars!
Coffee, Tea, and Hot Cocoa
- Pukka Tea Advent Calendar
- Keurig Coffee Advent Calendar
- Williams Sonoma 12-days of Cocoa
- Vahdam Loose Leaf Tea Advent Calendar
- Vahdam Tea Bag Advent Calendar
- Davids Tea – 12 Nights of Herbal Tea
- David’s Tea – 12 Days of Matcha Tea
- 12 Days of Hot Chocolate Advent Calendar
- 12 Cocoas of Christmas Keurig Pods
Unique Luxury Advent Calendars
- Wooden Animal Marching Band Christmas Advent
- Williams Sonoma ELF Advent Calendar – ELF the movie-themed gourmet sweets
- Voluspa 12-Day Candle Advent
- Williams Sonoma Cookie Baking (cookie cutters and more!) Advent Calendar
- Charbonnel et Walker – Luxury couverture chocolates
- Oliviers and Co. Advent Calendar – Gourmet Culinary Items
- DIPTYQUE Advent Calendar (super luxury!!)
DIY Advent Calendar Ideas
You may prefer to make your own custom Advent calendar rather than buying a pre-filled Advent calendar. Creating your own Advent doesn’t have to be complicated. DIY Advent calendars can be as simple as 24 envelopes or small bags filled with notes for an activity to do together as a family, or you might want to include a small treat or gift. You will find plenty of great Advent calendar filler ideas below to help you get started.
Here are some of my favorite DIY Advent Calendar Ideas:
Below are some fun Advent calendar ideas that you can make yourself. Making a homemade advent calendar is a fun activity that you can even do with your child(ren) to add to your Christmas traditions. There are so many different ways to make your own advent calendar.
You can create a simple advent calendar made with paper bags or gift tags, or put together a collection of Christmas books that are read each night leading up to Christmas morning.
- DIY Christmas Bulb Advent Calendar – This pretty Advent Calendar is so unique and would be beautiful to display.
- Muffin Tin Advent Calendar DIY – Make this muffin tin advent calendar to have a gorgeous calendar you can reuse year after year! Make your own using the tutorial, or use the free printables to make it easier!
- Printable LEGO Advent Calendar – Keep little hands busy this holiday season with a Lego Advent calendar! Get the free printable to count down the days with projects!
- Easy DIY Advent Calendar! – This hanging bag Advent Calendar is super simple to make. You can dress it up or keep it simple if you’d like. I love how this one is displayed as garland down the stairs!
Looking for More Gift Guides?
- Gifts for Working Moms – Gifts They Actually Want
- Gifts for the Hard-to-Shop-for Men in Your Life
- Gift ideas for Grandparents
- Gift ideas for People Who Love to Bake
- Gifts for Toddlers
- Gifts for Book Lovers
- Gifts for People Who Love Planners
- Books for 10-year-olds
- How We Do Christmas Gifts – the 4 Gift Rule
- Self-care Gifts for Moms
- Gifts for Teenagers
- Gifts for Avid Travelers
Advent Calendar Fillers Ideas
Below are some ideas that you can use to fill up your Advent Calendar if you are making your own.
- Candies of course!
- Hershey’s Chocolates for the kids
- Godiva
- Tiny Toys
- Lego Minifigures
- Mini Candles
- Tea bags.
- Stickers
- Lip Balms like Lip Smackers or a nicer option, mini Laneige Lip Masks
- Nail Polishes – Polishes for teens – or my favorite brand for adults
- Hand Creams
- Travel sized skincare or makeup
- Pens and markers
- Nice Cozy Socks – For Kids – For Adults
- Jewelry: Earrings, Bracelets, or rings
- Mini Card Games
- Bath Bombs or shower steamers
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