Advent Calendars: Homemade or Store-Bought?

Some parents heavily debate if it’s cheaper or more fun to create custom advent calendars, allowing their kids to decorate a set of 24 (or 25!) re-fillable wooden boxes, than buying a new one at the store each year. There are certainly pros and cons to both, so consider your priorities before making your decision.

The Benefits of a Homemade Calendar

It can be so fun and special to select each item that goes in all 24 individual boxes. You can use your knowledge of what your child likes to customize their experience, whether it be their favorite type of candy or their favorite flavor of chapstick. Moreover, if you want to, you can even decide on a “theme” each year.

For example, if your teen loves tea, each day you could place a tea triangle in her box and present her with a teapot on the last day that she can store them in. If your little boy loves Legos, you could buy one larger set and divy it up into smaller sections that go into each day’s box. You can also mix and match: if you find items in sets, you can give one to each child in his or her respective box on the same day. If your kids like more random candies, that can also be an easy filler that you wouldn’t find in a store-bought calendar. For older teen girls, you could even venture into the realm of fashion, buying a pack of earring sets and giving her one pair each day. Of course, chocolate is one of the most popular fillers, so don’t be afraid to try that too!

The Downsides to Doing It Yourself

However, there are downsides to the homemade advent calendar–the main argument against it being that it can involve a lot of work for you as a parent. It might be fun the first year, but after year three, you might find yourself frantically searching all over town for items small enough to fit in a box in the middle of December. An experience like that (or the fear of last-minute shopping) might lead you to start looking for potential advent box fillers all throughout the year to try and prevent last-minute stress… which sometimes just extends the stress period. Plus, it can be far more expensive to purchase 24 items for each child than just buying a premade calendar at the store.

It can also be frustrating if your children do not react positively to what you spent so long searching for when they open that day’s box. And, if you have a mischievous child, he or she might be tempted to open multiple boxes when you’re not looking to see what’s coming since the boxes aren’t sealed. Nevertheless, it can be a really special way to intentionally show your children you care about them and that you were thinking about them.

No matter what you choose–homemade or store-bought–an advent calendar can be a really fun way to celebrate Christmas and enjoy the lead up to Christmas Day!