DIY advent calendars

[Kickinthenostalgia]

this year I’m making both DS and dd thier own personalised advent calendars. They both will have a Lindt create your own one aswell. I did one for ds18 last year as he still had a ton of lynx deodorants from the one before and tbh I did a mix of shower gels and chocolate and he loves it.
Last year dd14 was lucky enough to get the p Louise truck advent as her grandad had died and left some money for her to get as he knew she was desperate for it the year before.

this year im in no position to justify the money for one personally and so ive agreed to make her, her own beauty one. Cost me £65 altogether roughly, 99% of it I managed to get on offer, in sales or search for discounts and it’s all the stuff she loves. It’s 25 days. I just wanted to give some ideas for anyone else thinking of doing the same

DD’s advent consists of
grinch blemish patches - primark
p Louise gold cherry cola bad bitch energy juice box - tik tok shop
daise violet and berry body mist - Superdrug
touchland mango passion mist - space nk
p Louise winter apple plumping moisturiser- tik tok shop
treacle moon cookie dough shower gel -
troublemaker bunny hop pink lip gloss - Superdrug
Christmas tree bath fizzer - boots
daise berry and vanilla lip butter balm - Superdrug
soap and glory cherry body wash - boots
candy floss shimmer shower gel - Superdrug
p Louise winter apple foaming facial cleanser - tik tok shop
trouble maker lip liner stain & gloss - Superdrug
soap and glory cherry body butter - boots
nivea black berry lip balm - Superdrug
facial cleansing pads - Superdrug
emily in Paris edition Vaseline - Superdrug
caramel and pistachio shimmer shower gel - Superdrug
daise cherry glow scrub - superdrug
p Louise winter apple - jelly make up remover - tik tok shop
trouble maker feral teddy mystery lip gloss - Superdrug
vaseline hand cream - boots
e.l.f grape lip balm - boots
trouble maker feral bunny lip gloss - Superdrug
fenty hand mask - boots

some of these were gift sets that I’ve just split up.

ds18 so far consists of
a cocoa butter Vaseline
lynx cherry spritz shower gel
lynx blue lavender shower gel
original source ginger and yuzu shower gel
a cadburys selection pack I’m going to split
lindy]t wafers which im also going to split
a book, which will most likely be the Christmas Day one.
a I’ll purchase whatever chocolate I know he likes that’s on offer.

OK so this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I really don’t get adult advent calendars. It’s just buying stuff for the sake of buying stuff.

Why not just get some chocolate /sweetie ones and just have it as a bit of fun with it. Or if you want to go the homemade route make up some daft riddles or jokes /taskmaster type tasks to put in each day .

I am making an advent collection for my 50 year old sister. I also used to not ‘get’ adult advent calendars but now we are in our 50s, we’ve both had a difficult year, I enjoy buying gifts and I know she will love having the treat.
So thanks for this list Kickinthenostalgia. I’ll skip the lynx sets but there’s some good inspiration I will take from your girls list.

splitting up larger packs into individual things is good advice - My son is younger but I've done that before, far cheaper than buying 25 things individually.

Oh yes, I love doing my own advent calendar for dd (nearly 8). I include a mix of:
Fun pens (split pack, e.g. kpop demon hunters or similar)
Chocolate lollies
Choco bons in several
Squishmallow mini squishies
Mini slime pot
Lip balm
Squishmallow erasers
Squishmallow bag charm
Hair slides
Squishmallow pen
Mini tissue pack

These sound lovely. An activity calendar keeps costs down too, twenty five folded notes each with a thing to do together, a winter walk with hot chocolate, choosing the Christmas film or a board game evening. It tends to be remembered longer than the chocolate versions.

Now my mom has had strokes and cant leave the house on her own (I take out weekly and vist 3 evenings a week) I make her a advent calender. She is 73 and I do

Small glass ornaments
Craft supplies
Christmas tree decorations dog themed
Hand cream
Small perfumes
Key rings
Lip balms
Packet of seeds

No chocolate as she has diabetes

Im going to be taking inspiration from this thread and up my game next year !

For a boy, the Nivea men's calendar is on sale on Ocado for £30 - you can split it up into a DIY as some items are repetitive. Last year I got my brother the Ted Baker men's grooming calendar on sale for ca. £40 and he really liked it.

I make a personalised AC for DD 16 too. Started when she was small and it’s now a tradition. I tried to suggest just buying one but that was met with disappointment 😄

so far I have:
p Louise set to split
Ouai Boots hair set (6 piece) to split
lip gloss
Accessorize earrings
After Eights
M&S Custard cream spread
Her usual foundation
eyeliner - she loses these constantly
Pimple patches
Socks
setting spray

Great thread!

I have been making a homemade advent calendar for DD for the last few years - she is 14 this year. It's one of those fabric ones with little pockets, so the gifts have to be quite small. Previous and present versions have included:

• novelty pin badges - cute ones, funny ones, ones themed around her favourite anime shows....
• lip balms
• little stationery items like tiny note books, novelty rubbers.
• little packs of stickers of her favourite anime
• earrings
• digest toys
• overly versions of practical items useful for sewing/crafts - for example a novelty measuring tape, or a tiny little pen knife.

Can't think of anything else right now, though am pretty sure I have missed things. Every year I plan to bulk it out with pound coins or sweets if I need to (this would also keep costs down) , but I always end up finding sufficient items in the end.

The original fabric calendar is personalised with her name and only cost about £7 on Temu. (Apologies - I know it's bad for the environment and when my finances allow I will shop more ethically). I also get many of the gifts on there which keep costs down. I also pick up items in sales throughout the year (reduced Claire's accessories earrings for example). And split multi packs of novelty erasers, stuff like that, which again keeps costs down.

We have a real laugh about it - some of the items she loves and some she looks at in total bemusement - but I think she would be gutted if I stopped doing it now. Because she splits her time between me and her dad, spending alternate Xmases with each of us (though I did invite him to mine last year, which she also loved) it's more difficult to establish Xmas traditions, and this is one of ours. I don't do a stocking or a Xmas eve box, so this sort of takes the place of those things, in a way.

As an adult I would fucking love somebody to make me a homemade advent calendar!

Ooh, just had a thought - I've ordered her a big multi pack of hair bands - that can be split into batches and used to bulk out the calendar if need be!

I used to make our advent calendars as a child/young teen. But they were drawings - I did one Christmas scene then layered the paper and cut out the doors so I knew where they were positioned on the bottom layer then drew the little surprise pics then glued it together! Didn’t have the type where you got a little gift back then (though I think a relative sent chocolate ones which are always very boring to look at).

That is good apart from when both parents work and aren't home until 6pm.

The odd thing like a treat dinner, movie and hot chocolate or some craft/baking at the weekend may work but we wouldn't have had the time to do something each day after dinner at 7pm when the parents also have to do plenty of day-to-day stuff.

We did the odd Lego or Playmobil ones, some make up, an expensive one with Taylor Swift merch and others but what always worked was 6 days of really nice chocolates, the ones I don't buy on a regular basis like the Lindt balls from the store or some other individual wrapped chocolates plus on Sunday a small gift.

I have a gin one, he has a local microbrewery one, just an excuse to drink really