DIY advent calendar ideas the whole family will love

The countdown to Christmas is on. And we’re celebrating with a home-made advent calendar for the whole family to enjoy.

Christmas is such an exciting time of year for the kids. Why not stretch the excitement out for a whole month, with a sweet treat for the kids to enjoy every day in December? While there are plenty of store-bought varieties to choose from at the supermarket, we suggest trying something new this year with a home-made advent calendar that you can pack full of family favourites.

The last day of November falls on a Saturday, so put on your apron, unpack your craft box and get creative with these unique advent calendar ideas from around The NEFF Kitchen. Who knows, it may become a family tradition that will be passed on for years to come.

How to make your own advent calendar

Advent calendars don’t have to be boring. These creative ideas are a great way to get the kids excited and out of bed early in the lead up to Christmas…

Get crafty with wooden storage drawers

You can find plywood storage drawers at all good craft stores, just waiting to be made into an advent calendar for your family. Get 24 drawers (they usually come in blocks of four) and paint the drawers in different colours, add a splash of glitter and make it as creative as you want. Want to repurpose them after the holidays? Keep the colour scheme more neutral and use stickers to mark the dates and you have handy storage boxes to help you get organised in the new year.

Take-out Christmas Tree

Stack 25 mini takeaway boxes into the shape of a tree, then number the boxes for a fun, easy and practical advent calendar for the kids to create this year. Click here for the tutorial.

Create a garland

Attach ribbon or string to your ceiling, mantle or underneath a window sill. Then hang cups or small buckets across the string, which are labelled with the correct day of the month. If you’re stocking your calendar with something light you could even wrap them up as little presents for additional festive decoration.

Use a ladder

Hang up a DIY Advent Calendar on a ladder using muslin craft bags or mini stockings that you can attach using a peg. This is a great option because you can fill them up again next year too.

The Advent Calendar Fillings

Once you’ve decided on the design of your advent calendar, it’s time to start filling it with delicious baked treats. Here are some small, but tasty desserts from around the NEFF Kitchen, that are loads better than ordinary milk chocolate blocks. Be sure to wrap your treats securely so that they taste just as good right up until Christmas Eve. In fact, you can even keep the treats themselves in an airtight container and place them into your calendar in time for the little ones to enjoy them.

Christmas shortbread

The buttery goodness of Christmas shortbread is a perfect dessert for your advent calendar. And you can add a personal touch by cutting them into various festive shapes or filling them with jam. Click here for the NEFF recipe.

Chocolate macaroons

Looking for something adults will love too? Try our decadent chocolate macaroons with chocolate chilli ganache. These can be frozen and added into the containers a week at a time to make sure they stay fresh and tasty. Click here for the NEFF recipe.   

Gingerbread

Small in size, and full of flavour, gingerbread is a great option for this year’s advent calendar, making the whole house smell like Christmas. Click here for the NEFF recipe.

Chocolate truffles

Ganache based chocolate truffles are a delightful treat that everyone loves and they’re surprisingly easy to make if you have the right ingredients on hand. If you’re anticipating hot weather in the lead up to Christmas, it might be best to keep them in fridge. Click here for the NEFF recipe.

Homemade cookies

Sometimes it’s best to keep things simple. Our homemade cookies take less then half an hour to make. Best of all you can experiment with different flavours including chocolate chips, pistachios and cranberries to mix things up throughout the month. Click here for the NEFF recipe.

Do a few of these ideas sound good to you? Why not mix it up to keep people guessing when they open the box each morning