To ask... has anyone made their own advent calendars?

[LMW1990]

I'm absolutely full of cold and feeling extremely sorry for myself - runny nose, can't breathe, sore throat, cough - the lot. So, I need something to do to occupy myself today!

DSD and DSS usually get given the standard chocolate advent calanders from my family, DP family and I'm sure they have one at DM too.

This year I said I wasn't buying chocolate (DSD has had a bit of a fandango with the dentist lately and we're generally trying to cut back on sugar). I looked into the lego/ non chocolate ones but they are expensive!! Especially as I would need two!

Has anyone attempted to make their own? If so, what did you fill it with?

Depending on the ages, you can fill them with things to do each day (put up the decorations, make mince pies etc) or small gifts (toys, lip balms, lego figures etc)

I have done a few:

Christmas themed Playmobil set broken up.
Littlest pet shop
Barbie clothes
Lol dolls.

I prefer them as you can but proper things they will play with rather than the fillers you get as a lot of the ore bought ones. It's also cheaper as you can just buy used bundles on eBay to split.

I have hanging ones but I also saw a Pinterest one where you tied items up in brown paper and then pegged on a line with mini red pegs. I actually cannot find my hanging ones this year so am making another diy one!

Ikea also have some little paper bags.

I have, but it would have been cheaper to buy a Lego one. I got a few fossils (current interest), some plastic dinosaurs, a multi pack of books, craft activities from baker ross, a tree decoration, and a couple of hot wheels cars.

I've done one this year, I've split the small boxes into 3, 8 with chocolate, 8 with little gifts (children's Nail varnish, hair bands, a Shopkin, a ooshee) and 8 Christmas activities to do (make paper chains, Christmas baking, make cards etc).

Argh lovely! I'm liking the peg idea - bit less DIY for me to do bodge I might put the odd sweet in there (so I don't look like Scrooge!) but they both LOVE little figures and can play for hours with them so I think I'll include quite a few of them

Yep I do it every year and vary the content with the ages
When DS1 was little I made a big fabric one with pockets (tree with decorations) which we put up every year and fill.

This year DS2 is getting Hey Duggee themed gifts - figures and badges I have made (printed on fabric, backed and edged like a real badges)
DS1 is getting a mix of sweets and lip balms (he's always losing them but has very dry lips so it's a bit of an in joke to get him 12 of them!)

DH also gets one every year but his is in a box with doors cut into it - it's full of beers, nuts, pork scratching s & crackers with a sub box hidden in the fridge with cheese in it

What age are they? When mine were younger, I used to put a little task in for each day. So it would be things like pay someone a compliment, play with the dog, play a game with siblings, bake cupcakes, make christmas decorations etc. They used to love it. I did put in a tiny chocolate too though and they would take it in turns to get the chocolate, so each would get one every 3rd day.

As children we always made our own, it was a lovely Christmas activity even though we'd have loved some chocolate too. It is quite difficult but we used to cut 24 little pictures from the previous year's Christmas cards and stick them on to a big piece of card (from a cereal box at a guess) and then stick another piece of card over and somehow we managed to cut out doors (you could use a craft knife) over the top of each picture. Never quite sure how we managed to work out where to cut the doors but we did. Then decorate the front with glitter or whatever.

It was a lovely Christmas activity to do together and really got us in the Christmas mood, we all really enjoyed it for years. I guess sometimes we were a bit resentful at not having nice shop bought chocolate ones like our friends, but actually the quality time making it with our mum was better. Good memories!

I made one by sewing scraps of material I had and fabric pieces from charity shops so it was very cheap to make but time consuming. I used to fill it with sweets, coins, playmobil bits etc.

The year we were told dd had to cut out soya as well as milk. I brought a decorative tree thing and some hanging bags/boxes. Filled them with a winegum and other random bits. She loved it.

They are 3 and 7 (but both turn 4 and 8 very soon after Christmas).

I'm going to get some of the Wilko Blox figures as they are compatible with Lego but won't cost me an arm and a leg!

DSD loves keyrings so I'll get a couple of those.

I'll also put some activity ones in there too - great idea! We've already done paint your own bauble but they enjoyed it so much I think I'll get them to make another one each for grandma!

I could also do write your letter to Santa and making a Christmas card for their DD and DM. Even though myself and DM don't always see eye to eye I do make sure they make her a card at Christmas, Easter, Mothers Day and her birthday. Same for DP.

We've usually broken up a Xmas jigsaw. Children get a few (adjoining) pieces each day and gradually build up.

Have also done jokes/brainteasers. And small Xmas lego kits - again, broken up.

Interspersed with the occasional chocolates distributed at random, which then become a surprise and more of a treat.

Never bought a chocolate advent calendar, though did buy playmobil and lego in the past. Loved the playmobil. Lego never seemed very Christmassy unfortunately.

At 15/16 kids have finally got their first choc advent calendar this year, only because family friend bought them. Daughter still wants the traditional jigsaw though!

My mum bought one of those wooden ones with doors one year so I always filled that.