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Original poster

Which reusable advent calendar do you have?

19 replies

Summerdays2014 · 07/11/2019 08:29

Hi,

I’ve decided that I’m going to do a diy advent calendar for my almost 4 year old son, alternating between mini chocolates, match box cars and mini Lego figures. Can anyone recommend a calendar to get that will be big enough to fit these in? Do you have a felt one with pockets or a wooden box type one?
Many thanks!

OP posts:
Original poster
Summerdays2014 · 07/11/2019 18:49

anyone got any recommendations?

OP posts:
Bogiesaremyonlyfriend · 07/11/2019 19:01

We have a felt one with pockets, they are reasonably big but not sure if they would hold a small car though. Could you make one?? I had a lot one year where you got the stockings and had to sew them, could then hang them on ribbon or a wooden Christmas tree. Looked great and would be big. If you have small son could you use little socks, then he gets 12 new pairs....

Original poster
Summerdays2014 · 07/11/2019 19:04

Bogiesaremyonlyfriend - that’s what I’m worried about, that I won’t be able to fit anything in! No way could I make my own (sewing not one of my skills!) sock idea is quite good though!

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Bogiesaremyonlyfriend · 07/11/2019 20:36

Haha. Yeah I don't know why there doesn't seem to be any with decent sized pockets about. Some you can barely fit tiny things in let alone a sweet. Hope you find something suitable!

Leflic · 07/11/2019 21:02

We have a wooden Father Christmas with drawers. BLOODY NIGHTMARE. It wasn’t cheap ( although got in sale when DS was3).

Drawers are too small for anything bigger than than a small net chocolate...not great if you want to do a mix if stuff or small toys as they grow up.

It falls over. Every single year. It’s a Father Christmas with a lamp so with beard, massively top heavy. I’ve stuck it, blue tacked it wedged it. Every year we gave the entire contents on the floor.

It’s too big / unwieldy to takeanyway. So when we started doing Christmas week away with family DS would miss the last 3 days. .

Original poster
Summerdays2014 · 07/11/2019 21:17

Oh no Leflic, that doesn’t sound good!

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DottieLottie1 · 07/11/2019 21:22

I got my DCs one from the range, the boxes are big enough for a couple of chocs (1 each 😉). Had it 12 Christmases.

Look in hobbycraft. They have got some lovely ones, you can even personalise and decorate it yourself.

Lobsterquadrille2 · 07/11/2019 21:47

I have had this one for years. Little wooden doors that open up.

Which reusable advent calendar do you have?
NoWordForFluffy · 07/11/2019 21:58

My mum made this one for us.

Which reusable advent calendar do you have?
Branster · 07/11/2019 22:05

Felt here, originally they had wooden tree decorations in the pockets and the children are way too old for this but I’ve been putting little age appropriate fits in every year.
If one item is too big, I hide it somewhere and put a note with clues in one pocket. For a 4 year old you could draw the hiding place for the clue.

Branster · 07/11/2019 22:06

NoWordForFluffy, your mum is sooo talented! Beautiful!

NoWordForFluffy · 07/11/2019 22:09

I love the clues idea! We had wooden advent calendars and the drawers were bloody tiny (hence snatching my mum's hand off at the new one!). We do only stick to chocolate these days though. Life's too short! 😂

Bogiesaremyonlyfriend · 13/11/2019 13:30

I saw some good looking wooden ones in hobby craft this weekend with decent sized boxes!!

Kittybelle123 · 13/11/2019 13:38

We have wooden hobbycraft ones. Good sized boxes, not too heavy and look lovely. Very pleased!

5foot5 · 13/11/2019 13:40

I made one for DD years ago and NO SEWING INVOLVED.

It is a chest of drawers but I made it using 24 large match boxes (the household size so each draw roughly 12cm x 6 cm x 2 cm)

They are glued together in 8 rows of 3 and I made a cardboard casing for it and painted and decorated the outside. (I am artistically challenged so I promise it wasn't difficult)

One other thing I did was find a Christmassy picture and cut it up so that a bit of the picture was on the back of each drawer. The idea being that each day after she opens the drawer she then turns it around and puts it back in and the picture gradually builds up. I tried to arrange the drawers so that number 24 would be the baby Jesus in the manger but it didn't quite work so it is actually Jesus' head, the rest of him arrives a bit earlier. Still, close enough.

I made it when she was at primary school and we are still using it now. She is 24.

5foot5 · 13/11/2019 13:41

Oh yeah. The only drawback was that I ended up with 1000s of matches that I couldn't use.

Stompythedinosaur · 13/11/2019 13:54

We've got the East of India one with buckets hanging on a garland. I like it because I can fit it bigger things than I could in a drawer.

TeslaGirls · 13/11/2019 13:59

5foot5 yours sounds amazing! I'm going to challenge DD2 to make one following your instructions - she's 12 and a dab ha d with a glue gun 😂

Lc2006 · 13/11/2019 15:20

Lidl have some like this in think they were around £5. They're little pouches, big enough to get a little car in

Which reusable advent calendar do you have?
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