Advent calendar fillers for teens

[Stompythedinosaur]

Hi - can anyone help with my ridiculous (and self-inflicted) problem.

Every year since they were tiny, I have filled a home made advent calendar for my dds. It's a string of little buckets, and I wrap the gifts in tissue paper (each dd has a colour). Over the years I've really enjoyed doing this, and the DDS look forward to it, and I don't want to stop.

But, as they get older it gets harder to find suitable items. They are 13 and 11 now and a finger puppet or sparkly hair clip won't cut it! I used to save left over party bag items and things from the front of magazines over the year, but now I'm having to think more creatively, and wonder if anyone has any ideas to share?

I will certainly include some stationary, but other than that I'm at a loss! Last year I put in a few gemstones, might do that again. Maybe nail polish?

I'd be grateful for thoughts!

If they're anything like mine lip gloss, face masks, eye shadow, lashes, nails, basically Primark beauty department!

Lip balm

Nail file

Facemask sheets

Cheapo costume jewellery like rings or bracelets from Primark

Hot chocolate sachet

Lindor truffles

Keyring

I buy packs of cheap earrings, necklaces and pins etc from Shein and bag them up (bags also from Shein) for my teens.

Small things of stationery. Cute paper clips and rubbers and things.

Small travel size smellies

Jewellery Christmas earrings

Voucher to Costa or wherever

Thank you! Perfect! Why didn't I think of that!

Lip balm/face masks/cheap jewellery/hot choc are all perfect!

Thank you!

I had the same problem even when the DC were little. If you run out of small ideas you can add in an experience written on a little bit of paper - things you might be planning on doing anyway eg 'cinema trip to see xxx'; ice skating; light trail etc

You can also put in a slip of paper with 'lucky dip' with items that are ideal for the advent calendar but too big eg Christmas socks, Christmas mug or a tub of hot chocolate. I used to wrap those things, put them in a gift bag, and when they got a lucky dip day, they picked one out randomly.

Or you can number them if you wanted them to have things on specific days, eg Christmas jumper, t-shirt on Dec 1st , or 'gift number 24' for eg pyjamas on Christmas Eve

I'm sorry for what I am about to say...

when the gifts don't fit in my boxes I have a little poem and a treasure hunt. Please see my thread under a previous username...
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4411663-Need-help-with-Little-rhymes-for-advent-calendar

last year practically every sodding box had a poem. I've kept them for this year lol. The 24th has an ancient note from when my mum did the calendar for me and I found inside on the first year I did it, now it's tradition. As is thr calendar, which dates from 1983.

now you too can spend December trying to figure out rhymes for locations in your house 😂

A Ferrero Rocher chocolate.
Money eg 50p, £1 or £2 coins, or a £5 note if flush!
Lottery ticket.
Greggs/Costa gift card.

Key ring.
Christmas lip balm. Lush?
A mince pie, or satsuma, it they will fit.
Herbal/fruit tea bag.

Make up, hair stuff, nail stuff and jewellery seem like obvious option.

We didn't continue this as its so hard to come up with things that are small enough and not repeating (especially as we had boys).

LED mini torch

Notebooks

Sticky notepads

Pen

Chocolate coins/santa

The Works do a variety of things including mini easels to draw on

Stickers

Santa/snowman cup

Christmas bauble

Pens

Could you set them some tasks for some of the days to add to the fun? E.g.

• take some nice photos
• buy some items for the foodbank
• find 3 things in your room to donate to charity
• let's go on a winter walk
• hot choc and movie night

I bought some £1 coin holders ( 5 of them in fact) they hold 15x£1 coins.
I;ll give one each to DS and DD and the other 3 will be in my bag , workbag and car but maybe just £5-£10 in each for parking mainly .

Lots of drinks?
Flavoured hot chocolate sachets, herbal teabags and if they drink it flavoured coffee and min syrups.

Mini squash squinty thingies.

Sweets-big lollipops, big packs of chewing gum, super sour sherbert.

Nail varnish.

Novelty cans of food
eg if they love beans get all the random bean flavours to try, novelty pasta and sauce tins for a laugh (I think you can get pepper pig ones?!)
If they r foodies, jars of pate or fancy jam, fancy cheeses, chutneys...

I’ve stopped now but the year that my DS remembers most fondly was the one when I bought a 1000 piece Christmas jigsaw. I made it up in November and then broke it into 24 sections. Each day they had the pieces for one section and built up the jigsaw together.