Your homemade sugar-free advent calendar

Cold is here, it’s dark at 5.13pm. But we will not let depression shoot us down. It’s time to prepare the advent calendar! Whether for adults or children, it’s always a pleasure to offer a small gift and it already puts a touch of Christmas in your home! If you have not already done so, you still have some time to find the advent calendar of your dreams or why not making it yourself.

Let’s start with the calendar itself:

• You will find in some stores calendars containing small chocolates. It’s nice for the kids. Mine have always loved looking for the small box to open and of course they enjoy the mini-praline.
• One year, I collected 24 rolls of paper towels. I went shopping with the kids to choose their own surprise (sweets, of course). It is a very widespread system. The children are very happy to have made it themselves.
• In the same style, I discovered through my readings a nice idea which is reusing cardboard packaging and make small boxes that you can paint with Christmas colours. Another fun activity to do with your children!
• And finally, my favourite, a calendar to reuse each year: collect pieces of fabric and put a small gift on it. Then seal the bag with a string or a ribbon of colour.

Be sure to write the date on the boxes, small bags, or any containers that you have decided to use. Remember to reuse materials: for example, cut out empty cereal boxes for your numbered pellets.

Let’s talk about gift ideas for this nice calendar:

It is not necessarily mandatory to give chocolate or sweets. Let’s protect our teeth, shall we ? And why not changing habits:

• An advent calendar filled with sweet words for your kids but also for your beloved partner :).
• Some pieces of a building game every day. Once all the parts are together on the 24th, it is time to make it into 1 piece.
• If your kids love marbles, give them some in each pack to build up their stock and play at school as soon as January comes back.
• And why not a coin each day!
• Small temporary tattoos. Remind your toddlers that it will not be possible to keep the 24 tattoos on their arms until Christmas :). This will probably avoid frustrations!
• Finally, without a doubt the ideal, make a mix of everything to vary pleasures!

Enjoy!