9 unique advent ideas for a meaningful family Christmas
This December, adding one of these an Advent ideas to your family traditions can foster deeper connections and create cherished memories. By dedicating time to this meaningful ritual, you’ll not only enjoy quality moments together but also keep your focus on the true spirit of the holiday season.
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Let’s face it – the holiday season can be stressful. Between finding the right gifts, a packed schedule and all the cooking and cleaning, it is all too easy to lose sight of the joy we should be striving for during the celebration of the true meaning of the season of the birth of Jesus.
An Advent can be a great family tradition that slows down the busy pace of the season and places focus on quality time and interaction with your loved ones. Make incorporating an Advent calendar this year easy by picking your favorite of these nine Advent calendar ideas. Choose a different option each year – or repeat a favorite year after year.
1. Paper Chain Advent
One of the simplest Christmas Advent calendars doubles as a Christmas decoration. Make a simple 24-link paper chain and wrap it around your Christmas tree or hang it on your mantle. Each night before bedtime from December 1 thru Christmas Eve, have a family member remove one link from the chain. When you remove the last link, the next day is Christmas Day!
The paper chain Advent is simple to make. From 8.5×11 or 12×12 sheets of card stock, cut 24 1-inch strips of paper. Create a circle with one chain by gluing one end of the first strip to the other end. Then thread the next strip through the circle and glue the ends together again. Repeat for the remaining 22 strips of paper. I like to use red and green card stock; customize the colors to match your decor or choose your child’s favorites.
Idea!
Instead of using card stock, save Christmas cards from last year. Re-read the messages in the cards, recalling the memories of last Christmas as you cut out a circle from each to use for an Advent wreath. Glue the 24 circles around the edges of a paper plate to form the shape of a wreath and hang on the wall or a door.
There are endless ways to adapt the paper chain Advent!
The paper chain Advent calendar is an easy craft and inexpensive – consider having each member of your family make their own Advent calendar chain and complete the Christmas countdown all together.
2. Activity Advent
Family holiday traditions can be turned into, or created from, an annual activity Advent calendar. Each day of December leading up to Christmas Eve, select an activity to do as a family.
Activities can be as simple as watching a favorite Christmas movie, visiting a nativity scene, or listening (or singing!) Christmas carols – or more active such as building a gingerbread house, hanging Christmas decorations, or making paper snowflakes. For lots more ideas of fun activities, as well as an easy printable way to turn the activity Advent calendar into a decoration using colorful tags, subscribe to receive the free download below and check out my “how-to” on activity Advent calendars here.
3. Christmas Story Advent
For little ones, a Christmas Story Advent is a great way to build anticipation with your little girls and boys. Read a Christmas book each day December 1st through the 24th. Stories can come from your own collection, purchased new book, or borrow some library books.
What stories were your favorites as a child? My personal favorite was a cute story called Terrible Teddy Bear in a Richard Scarry Christmas collection; I have other recommendations here for wonderful Christmas books to include and more suggestions on making a Christmas story Advent calendar a special experience.
Idea!
Wrap your 24 story books in Christmas wrapping paper and place them under the Christmas tree. Your little ones will love unwrapping one book each night as part of the Advent book calendar!
4. Game night advent
A game night Advent calendar is similar in concept to the activity Advent calendar – but each activity is a game. Playing games together as a family is an easy way to create a fun tradition. Choose your favorite games, try some new games.
Add some ambiance and play a Christmas song and serve Christmas cookies with hot chocolate to turn it into a little party while you play. Consider giving small treats to the winner, or just let the winner pick the next night’s game.
5. Lego Advent
If some of these ideas are intimidating, consider store-bought Advent calendars instead. My sons were so excited when we gave them the Star Wars Lego Advent calendars as a gift. I would set them out after they went to bed on November 30th, and they’d find them the next morning. Each day they would be excited to open the small gifts inside the window of the box for that day.
Lego has so many choices for Lego Advent calendars, including Disney, Marvel, Harry Potter and Friends:
6. More store-bought Advent calendar options
When it comes to store-bought Advent calendars, there are so many choices. My personal favorite is a sock Advent calendar. This one comes with an adorable box that you could reuse in future years, storing small slips of paper with Advent activities, or small gifts.
Other store-bought Advent calendar options include
- Snack Advent
- Tea Advent
- Lip balm Advent
- Puzzle Advent
- Coffee Advent
- Spreads Advent (this one often sells out early)
- Cookie Advent
- Fishing Lure Advent
- Brain Teaser Advent
7. Chocolate Advent
Okay – yes a chocolate Advent could be another store-bought advent option. But it is CHOCOLATE – so it deserves its own section. I grew up on those little chocolate Advent calendars in a cardboard box with a window for each day. They are still a great option for your little ones, or as a gift for nieces and nephews, friends or neighbors.
But there are also now gourmet chocolate Advent calendars, such as this Godiva Chocolatier 2024 Deluxe Snowglobe Advent Calendar:
8. Gratitude Advent
The Christmas season often has a tendency to focus on gifts. A wonderful gift we can give ourselves and our families is the gift of gratitude.
In a gratitude Advent, each day each member of the family shares something they are thankful for. Take it a step further, and write it down each item you are thankful for on a handmade paper ornament, and hang them on your tree or your fireplace mantle as a reminder. Save them and look at them again next year – they will become treasured memories.
9. Acts of service Advent
This holiday season, take the time to serve those in need. The holidays are a hard time for those who have experienced loss, or are going through a difficult time. If you are able, serve others.
No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.
Charles Dickens
A few ideas of service activities include:
- Deliver cards to a nursing home
- Purchase gifts for a family in need
- Volunteer to escort an elderly friend or family member on errands
- Bring a meal to someone in need
- Clean someone’s home or wash their car
- Scoop snow for a neighbor
- Donate food to a shelter
- Donate blankets or towels to the animal shelter
- Bake cookies for your hair stylist or barber
Merry Christmas – from my home to yours! May your Advent calendar turn this holiday season of preparation into a season of family bonding!
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What fantastic ideas! The paper chain one is just brilliant, so simple! I wouldn’t mind the Lego Harry Potter one for myself.
My kids always wanted to do the paper chain – it is such a visual countdown!
Such lovely ideas, I particularly like the paper chain advent, so simple but really meaningful for the whole family. I like the activity advent too it’s a good way to slow down over the festive season and do something fun as a family each day.
Yes!!
Some really fab ideas here. I love the printable activity advent but I think my favourite is the board game advent idea.
Thank you Natasha!