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When my kids were growing up, I enjoyed sharing various advent calendars with them. It was fun to see their delight opening the calendars to reveal fun, little treats for the days leading up to Christmas. So today, I will be sharing how to make a cute and simple advent calendar out of gift boxes!

Easy and Sweet DIY Gift Box Advent Calendar

In years past, I simple put the advent gifts in gift boxes with a label on it numbering which advent day it is.

As they got older, I wanted to create an advent calendar that would allow me to give them bigger gifts, so I came up with my advent calendar gift-box idea.

Advent Calendar Supplies

12 White Gift Boxes

Kraft Paper Brown Gift Tags

Red and White Twine

Numbers Stickers

Christmas Stickers

Scissors

Clear Wrapping Tape

Advent Calendar Gift Box Instructions

I decided to put 12 days in my advent calendar. You can add more or less according to your preference. I figure 12 days is a good number—it’s a good number of gifts!

To put the advent calendar together I first put the gift boxes together. (The ones I ordered came folded.) The boxes I used are composed of one piece that includes a lid.

I added stickers to 12 gift tags for 12 days leading up to Christmas (ending on Christmas Eve). I added a decorative Christmas sticker to each label. I also put a Christmas sticker on the top of each box as an additional decorative element.

To secure each tag, I tied on a little bit of twine and secured it within the box with a piece of tape.

I then stacked the boxes on my living room’s coffee table. I was sure to stack the boxes so that the advent days the furthest away from Christmas are on the top, since they will be opened first.

I actually will be making more boxes soon since I have two daughters—I like to give them their own advent boxes.

Advent Calendar Filler Ideas (for Kids)

I like to fill my daughters’ advent calendar boxes with little things that they enjoy. I also try to stick to items that aren’t too expensive, too. You could fill the boxes of an DIY gift box advent calendar with:

Candy

Small Toys

Mini Sewing Set

A Length of Cord and Beads (to make a bracelet)

Rubber Stamp and Ink Pad

Lip Balm or Lip Gloss

Movie or Event Tickets

Small Container of Play Slime

Multi-Tool or Mini Tool Set (if age appropriate)

Small School Supplies (erasers, pencil sharpeners, stickers, etc.)

Inexpensive Jewelry

Nail Polish

Arts and Crafts Items

Christmas Ornaments

Socks

Mittens or Gloves

Seeds (to plant in the springtime)

A Scarf

Mini Drawing Pad or Art Canvas

Mini puzzles or puzzle books

Gift Card

Activity Cards (promising a day working on a jigsaw puzzle together, going to the movies or ice skating, etc.)

Treasure Map or clues on where to find larger gifts – I normally give my daughters each a pair of Christmas PJs on Christmas Eve. (PJs won’t fit in these small advent boxes.)

Hair Elastics or Scrunchies

Mini stuffed animals/action figures/figurines

Mini cars or trucks

Book Mark and Matching Book (you can include a clue as to where to find the book)

A Deck of Cards or a Card Game Like UNO

Bath Bombs or Bath Salts

Photographs (prints), a memory card of photos or Polaroids

A Sweet Note or Poem

Mini Journal

Mini pens, pencils or highlighters

Novelty Pins (e,g., one of my kids loves Beatles pins and both like pins about novels/books)

Earbuds

Keychain

Cash

Be sure to check out all of my blogging friends’ DIY Advent Calendar ideas!