November is the start of thinking about all things Christmas here with the Hibbs family, and advent calendars are such a wonderful tradition that my kids look forward to every year. A special part of Christmas. I remember being a child and anticipating the start of my advent calendar on the first of December!

While you can, of course, purchase an advent calendar, we love how fun and memorable it is to create and personalize your own for your little ones. These printable envelopes are a fun and innovative way of creating a festive calendar to hang up in your home as part of your décor. They are simple to make and do a great job of keeping all the gifts and experiences concealed. Since they are all the same size, the kids will have fun guessing what’s inside each one.

Now what would an advent calendar be without the little gifts within it? I stagger 2-3 gifts per child within the coupons. This year to make things extra special, I added a gifting element of books, bobbles, and experiences to add variety to our advent calendar. I personally love the idea of gifting books at Christmas. Classic stories, like A Charlie Brown Christmas and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,are timeless, and reading them year after year is a treat not only for the kids, but for me as well. This year I added in a couple of new ones, such as Let It Glow: A Winter’s Walk for its beautiful imagery and the fun little light that is lit throughout the story when you read it. Do your kids love to sing along? Dashing Through the Snow: a Canadian Jingle Bells is sure to be a new favourite. Try writing a short message to your little ones on the inside cover and date it, so it becomes a keepsake for years to come.

Besides classic books, I also added in a few little toys and items for each of my children. For Liam, anything LEGO is a hit and LEGO Holiday Ideas is a great inspiration that helps them build Christmas-themed figures out of LEGO that he already owns. Lillya will love these adorable star clips for her hair, and this little plush Octopus for Blakey will be perfect. Oh, and how could I forget the cutest things ever: Claus Couture for your Elf on the Shelf? Seriously, they have thought of everything. The kids will be searching for these the first day, so they can dress up Elf throughout the month of December.

This DIY advent calendar also includes making printable coupons for the envelopes, which are a great way to create winter family experiences and memorable moments together over the holidays. Write down fun holiday activities, such as baking cookies, building a snowman, hot cocoa after school, or winter family outings.

Below is everything you need to create your own DIY advent calendar:

Supplies
Cardstock
Scissors
Printer
Ribbon, stickers, numbers
Paper scorer or ruler
Exacto knife
Glue or double-sided tape

DIY Advent Envelope Stripes
DIY Advent Envelope Holly – 3 versions
DIY Advent Envelope Polka Dots

DIY Advent Coupon Plain
DIY Advent Coupon

Steps:

1. 1. Print out the desired pattern you would like for your child.
2. 2. Cut out the envelope following the grey lines.
3. 3. Using an Exacto knife, cut the slot on the bottom flap. This will allow you to close the envelope.
4. 4. Score and fold along the dotted lines. This will help to create the 3D envelope shape.
5. 5. Fold the left corner and right corner into the center, then apply double-sided tape or glue to the front edge of each flap.
6. 6. Fold up the bottom flap and adhere to finish creating the envelope.
7. 7. Get creative on how you hang it or display it. You can use ribbon, but if you want to achieve a more seamless look, use command strips to place it directly on the wall.
8. 8. Print out the coupons on cardstock, and cut them out.
9. 9. Fill out the coupons as desired.

We want to thank Indigo for sponsoring this post. All opinions and views are my own.