Ideas for a DIY advent calender.

[Bemyclementine]

For my mum. She's in her 70s but very young at heart (mind and body too!) She's told me not to bother with presents, there's nothing she wants and crucially I'm quite hard up.

So cheap (but not cheap...) things for an advent calender ideas. Please. I have a few bits already, a small Christmas's body butter, little hand cream, a little pot of liquorice. I'll do a few edible things, but obviouy need 24....

Scratch card / lottery ticket?

Miniature of her favourite alcohol?

A book!

I'll be following this with interest as I'm supposed to be doing one for dp this year and I am really crap at this stuff!

Lip balm
Hair product
Pillow spray

A book is a good call, a nice Christmas's one.
So....
Book
Christmas scented mini candle/wax melt
Liquorice
Body butter
Lottery ticket
Scratch card
Caramelised nuts (homemade, she likes them)
Alcohol miniature
Chocolate
Hand cream
Dates
Only 13 to go...

Christmassy coffee

12 to go

Do you live near a "retro" sweet shop? How about a few chocolate limes, blackcurrant & licorice, peardrops, parma violets, etc.?

A mini bottle of Baileys or something similar, Christmas tree decoration, mini body spray or handbag perfume, a pen.

Also: do you live near a department store where you can perhaps get some free samples of perfumes from the 50s and 60s? Shalimar, Rive Gauche, etc. etc.?

Fancy keyring
Packet of seeds
Tiny cross stitch kit
Travel size shower gel
Pretty socks
Christmas tree ornament

Samples of fancy moisturiser

Trolley token for her handbag, a little handbag pack of Christmas tissues, nail varnish.

If she crochets or knits a couple of small balls of yarn like Rico ricorumi (£1 each).

Favourite crisps?

Seconding a Christmas ornament

Notebook
Photo of you
Packet of summer flower seeds
'Nice' hand sanitiser
Coffee or tea
Coaster with a message on it (I've just bought "I don't know what I'm doing" for my new job and I love it
Red bubble stickers

Nail polish or nail care set
Pillow mist
Hand warmers (the reusable kind) or gloves
Hot choc stirrer
Novelty earrings

Yes great ideas!

Baileys
Tree Dec
Retro sweets.
Perfume sample
Seeds
Key ring
Christmas tissues
Crisps
Travel size stuff

Nearly there!

Nice Teabags?

Pen
Lipbalm/lipstick
One of those scented lavender bags for your knicker drawer? Like La senza put in when you buy knickers.
Chocolate santa

You can buy a job lot of samples of different things. Beauty products, soaps, just add chocolates, etc. add some lotto ticket/scratch card or a book or something and you'll have a lovely advent calendar.

If you're not giving a Christmas present why don't you do 25 and make the 25th a touch "bigger" so that she still has something to open in Christmas Day? An inexpensive but pretty item of jewellery would work well!

A retro toy, like a spinning top
Hair clip/slide
Scarf (they scrunch up small!)
Brooch
Coin from year of birth

Fold up shopping bag
Mug
Bath bomb
(Sun) glasses case
Tinted lip balm

slightly confused by how 'don't get me a gift, I dont want anything and wan't you to save your money' translates in your mind to 'I must buy my 24 gifts'... actually feels a little disrespectful to what she specifically asked of you.

You would be better doing a cheap heartfelt token gift than getting someone who specifically said they didn't want anything 24 things.