Advent Calendars 2026: Are You Making Yours Yourself?

Dear community,

are you making your Advent calendars for yourselves, your children / grandchildren this year, or do you prefer to buy ready-made Advent calendars?

My husband and I have had a tea Advent calendar the past few years, but last year’s had a lot of varieties we didn’t really like. We’ll see if we get a different one this year—or none at all. I do find the LaCritza calendar interesting, but since I already have so much stuff lying around and my time before Christmas is pretty limited, I haven’t bought it yet...

For our son (3.5 years old), I sewed an Advent calendar with little pouches last year. But I didn’t like the hanging arrangement at all, so I’m still going to put some jute fabric behind it. The pouches kept spinning around like crazy; that just didn’t work at all. 😅

I downloaded the patterns for the mini handbags and backpacks quite a while ago. I’m really tempted to crochet them all. But of course, they’ll need to be filled, too. And I’m not sure if all that work will even be appreciated...

Yes, I have that mini-handbag pattern, too. I usually crochet these bags for my dolls. Since the kids are grown up and have moved out, a crocheted Advent calendar like that isn’t worth it for my husband and me.

I crochet these every now and then as little gifts for my little dancers.

Years ago, I once made an Advent calendar using these diamond-shaped boxes (the pattern was from here, but I don’t remember who it was by). I only used it once.

If I still had kids at home, I’d make some kind of Advent calendar—just like I used to. Kids need that sense of anticipation leading up to Christmas. And when they rush over to their Advent calendar every morning, eager to see what surprise is in store for them today, you simply share their joy as an adult.<\/p>

But now that the kids have children of their own, I don’t have to come up with anything anymore. Now the parents fill the Advent calendars for their kids. My husband and I don’t need Advent calendars. We treat each other to little joys or surprises every now and then anyway. <\/p>

Best regards, Ina<\/p>

I actually think tea is a pretty nice idea for an Advent calendar. At least you actually use it.

I’ve really gotten into the spirit this year and have already sewn two Advent calendars for my daughters. Now I’m looking forward to filling them and seeing their faces when they open the little doors. 🥰

On a whim, I turned the calendar into a PDF sewing pattern. If anyone’s interested, I’d be happy to send you the link. 🧵 

Warm regards,

Juliana