24 of the best DIY advent calendar kits

Give this Christmas a handmade countdown with our favourite DIY advent calendar kits.

We've rounded up our favourite DIY advent calendars to buy and make yourself. You'll find something for every type of crafter, such as papercraft kits, wooden calendars, fabric panels, boxes and more.

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We’ve tried to find a kit to suit all crafty abilities, including plenty where all you need to do is insert your own gifts. However, if you've got an overbrimming craft stash and want to make your own advent calendar from scratch, you’ll find loads of free DIY advent calendar projects here on Gathered.

So pop on some Christmas carols and enjoy a festive craft session!

24 advent calendar kits to make this Christmas

1. Sew your own

Best for sewing fans

This beautiful DIY advent calendar from Needle and Ned Ltd comes with 5-star reviews from fellow makers on Etsy. This kit includes pre-printed panels and full instructions, so even relatively new sewists can handle it.

It’s made from 160 gsm thick 100% woven cotton, giving you a great quality material that will stand up to years of use. The finished calendar measures 60 cm high and 55 cm wide and the panels are designed and printed here in the UK (so you'll need to leave a little longer for delivery if you're based overseas).

• Get your sew your own advent calendar kit from Etsy

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2. Wool Couture crochet kit

Best for beginner crocheters

If you’ve recently discovered the joy of crochet, then this is the perfect project for your pre-Christmas hooking!

It’s made entirely out of simple double crochet stitches that every newbie needs to learn, plus a little bit of surface crochet to make the pocket numbers.

You can also personalise the kit by choosing your four colours of the gorgeous Cheeky Chunky yarn and select whether you need a crochet hook too!

• Buy Wool Couture crochet advent calendar kit from Etsy

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3. Personalised wooden DIY hanger

Best for minimal crafting

Perhaps you’d like to make your own advent calendar but aren’t really a big crafter? Then this personalised wooden DIY kit is perfect for you.

Each laser-cut birch wood hanging comes topped with a festive design and is handmade to order. Use the 24 pre-cut holes to thread string through, allowing you to attach and hang pre-wrapped presents or gift bags.

• Buy this personalised wooden DIY advent calendar hanger from Not on the High Street

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4. Cross stitch kit

Best for timeless calendars

We absolutely love the traditional vibes of this cross stitch example, featuring all sorts of Christmas motifs from one of our favourite traditional cross stitch brands – Historical Sampler Company.

It comes with Zweigart fabric, a printed black and white chart and DMC pre-sorted stranded cotton. The kit uses 16 count aida and the final sampler has a finished size of 27cm x 27cm.

There’s also the option to purchase this cross stitch advent calendar kit in a gift box, which includes extra stitching accessories, gifts and treats.

• Buy cross stitch advent calendar kit from Etsy

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5. Candy cane stripes DIY kit

Best for boxes

This has got to be one of the easiest DIY advent calendar kits in this round-up. Simply pop up these pre-cut red and white candy stripe boxes and fill them with sweets and little treats!

We love the modern, merry and bright design and gold foiled finishing touches, and you can get creative with how you display them – why not hang them from your tree?

Each kit includes 24 boxes and 24 number stickers, plus red and white butcher's twine.

• Buy candy cane stripes DIY advent calendar kit from Etsy

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6. Make your own embroidery kit

Best for mindful making

Enjoy a daily DIY embroidery project with this fab kit by Nelly Makes Embroidery.

There are 24 mini motifs to make on the pre-printed 40cm/16 inch cotton fabric sheet. Inside the kit, you also get two embroidery needles, a mini hoop, a tips guide and all the thread you need.

• Buy make your own embroidery advent calendar kit from Etsy

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7. Decorate your own wooden tree

Best for crafty kids

Cuteness alert! Have fun with kids counting down to Christmas with this wooden advent calendar tree – ready to decorate with découpage paper, acrylic paint or Deco pens.

Simply decorate, paint and number the drawers – then fill with tiny treats!

• Buy wooden advent tree from Baker Ross

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8. Stickers for your own DIY advent calendar

Best for custom calendars

24 days of stickers with gold foil? Yes, please! Choose between loads of different colours like rose gold, copper, blush pink and more, then stick them to your DIY advent calendar.

Whether you’re using envelopes, or are going all out and giving 24 proper presents that are too big for a conventional calendar, these numbered stickers are a fabulous finishing touch!

• Buy Christmas advent number stickers from Etsy

9. DIY dog advent calendar

Best for holiday hounds

Your darling doggo deserves to enjoy Christmas just as much as you.

Pick up this dog treat number which comes with 24 delicious doggie treats and spoil your pooch. You can reuse the kit year after year – just replace the treats… and make sure to hang it out of reach!

• Buy DIY dog advent calendar from Not on the High Street

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10. Paper houses DIY kit

Best for patient papercrafters

This papercraft kit allows you to make your own advent village. This printable PDF template enables you to cut and assemble your own numbered house gift boxes in three different sizes (there’s also a handy video tutorial to guide you).

You can then insert your own custom gifts. And if you’re struggling to think of enough little presents, you also get 25 printable Christmas activities to put inside your houses included with the download!

• Buy paper houses DIY advent calendar kit from Etsy

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11. Personalised scratch-away kit

Best for daily surprises

We absolutely love this idea for a bit of sweet seasonal fun!

This DIY advent calendar is made up of daily cards which can be strung in a row with the pegs and string provided. But it’s the cards that are the really special element, as they contain your own special messages beneath a scratch-away foil surface!

It's one of the simpler kits in this list – simply write your daily message on each card, then cover it with the sticky foil heart.

It’s designed to be used as a family advent calendar, where you can write hidden Christmas activities such as ‘toast marshmallows’ or ‘hot chocolates with all the trimmings’. But we think it would work just as well for couples too. Write a sweet love note for each day and shower your partner with heart-felt festive messages.

• Buy personalised scratch-away advent calendar kit from Not on the High Street

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12. Knitted advent calendar kit

Best for knitting novices

If you liked the look of Wool Couture’s crochet version, but are more familiar with a pair of needles than a hook, then don’t worry – Wool Couture has you covered with their knitted advent calendar kit.

Countdown to Christmas by making these 24 knitted pouches, perfect for storing stickers, small toys or chocolates. Made with their super-squishy Cheeky Chunky yarn and using only simple knit and purl stitches, it’s an easy way to get creative and make your own calendar.

• Buy knitted advent calendar kit from Etsy

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13. Papercraft books DIY

Best for literature lovers

Keep your Christmas decor classy with the help of this clever DIY advent calendar disguised as iconic Christmas books!

This downloadable PDF includes printable templates to make all 24 books, then all you have to do is cut them out, fold them where instructed and use a glue stick to assemble them. Oh, and don’t forget to put some gifts inside!

They’re so easy, even the least crafty types can enjoy this one.

• Buy papercraft books advent calendar DIY from Etsy

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14. Craftvent advent calendar kit

Best for Christmas crafting

What could be better than a handmade advent calendar? Perhaps one where you get to do the making?

This limited-edition Craftvent kit from The Make Arcade comes in a box containing 24 individually boxed felt sewing kits for a selection of decorations to make for your Christmas tree!

It’s a brilliant gift for a crafty friend… or you could always treat yourself.

• Buy Craftvent advent calendar kit from Not on the High Street

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15. Bags to make your own advent calendar kit

Best for DIY

You can easily make your own advent calendar kit with a little bit of creativity and some basic supplies. The main part of any DIY advent calendar is having a container for your gifts, but you don't have to spend a fortune on them.

These small hessian drawstring bags are perfect for small gifts, and you could easily embroider or use a fabric marker/paint to add numbers onto them. There are also plenty of numbered bags available to buy, but these ones with striking metallic numbers are our favourite.

• Buy metallic numbered hessian jute sacks from Etsy

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16. Personalised wooden lightbox advent calendar

Best for a special gift

The picture alone of this personalised wooden lightbox advent calendar already has us feeling all warm and Christmassy.

Twinkly lights shine out from your personalised laser-cut name, and the lightbox is framed by 24 little pull-out numbered drawers, big enough to store some tasty little treats.

It would make an incredibly special gift for either a child or an adult and would fit right in on a festive mantlepiece.

• Buy personalised wooden lightbox advent calendar from Etsy

17. Paper bag DIY advent calendar kit

Best for keeping costs down

Christmas can be an expensive and stressful time, but remember that no matter what anyone says, it really is the thought that counts.

You don’t have to break the bank on fancy shop-bought calendars, even this paper bag DIY advent calendar kit is sure to bring a smile to their faces.

We think this would be a fabulous project that kids could make for mum or dad (with a little help of course). Children will love adding the numbered and Christmassy stickers onto each bag. Then just fill the bags with mummy or daddy's favourite treats, or you could also get the little ones to make some special gifts to include – check out our easy Christmas crafts for kids for some fab ideas.

• Buy paper bag DIY advent calendar kit from Amazon

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18. Personalised beer advent calendar

Best for those who like a tipple

People are always saying that Christmas is the time to be merry, but not everyone is a fan of eggnog or mulled wine. So here’s a kit for the beer lover in your life.

This laser-cut personalised advent calendar tree allows you to insert a 330ml bottle of beer of your choice for each day up to Christmas. You’ll have to source the alcohol yourself of course, but it’s a great idea for someone who likes to mix things up and try different beers.

You can also get these wooden advent trees in sizes to fit 500ml bottles (more commonly used with real ale) or even miniature spirit bottles! We’re not advocating daily drinking, but Christmas does only come around once a year!

• Buy personalised beer advent calendar from Etsy

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19. Decopatch blank advent calendar kit

Best for complete craft freedom

Many of the advent calendar kits in this round-up include everything you need, but we also thought it would be nice to include a blank canvas for those of you who have overbrimming craft cupboards in need of a project to use up all that stash!

Take this basic cardboard advent calendar and decorate it with your favourite festive papers and embellishments!

• Buy Decopatch blank advent calendar kit from Amazon

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20. Use family photos to make your own advent calendar kit

Best for precious memories

OK, so we know this one is stretching the definition of DIY, but you do still need to pick the photographs yourself!

These photo advent calendars from Boots come in a range of styles and types. There’s the classic picture calendars, one of which uses a photo collage that can be framed after the calendar is used as a bonus gift.

There’s also a selection of chocolate calendar options, including Tonys, Ferrero Rocher and Kinder chocolates – decisions, decisions!

• Buy personalised photo advent calendars from Boots

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21. Play Doh advent calendar

Best for encouraging children’s creativity

Although you don’t make this advent calendar yourself, it’s another one where kids can get crafty with what’s inside!

This Play Doh advent calendar will go down a storm with children, and we know quite a few adults who would love it too.

It contains 24 pots of Play-Doh so you get a new colour each day, as well as some fun tools. There’s also surprise creation cards, with suggestions for creative ways to use the Play Doh and tools.

• Buy Play Doh advent calendar from Amazon

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22. Watercolour advent calendar kit

Best for improving painting skills

This kit is a brilliant choice for budding artists.

Rather than getting chocolates every day, you instead get to create a surprise watercolour illustration. Starting on the 1st of December, you’ll find a daily YouTube tutorial to guide you through the day's illustration.

Great for experienced and new painters alike, the illustrations are small, quick and relatively simple. If you’ve already got plenty of paints you can buy the calendar by itself. But if you’re thinking of giving it as a gift there’s also the option to buy this kit with all the paints and brushes you’ll need too.

• Buy watercolour advent calendar kit from Etsy

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23. Christmas train DIY advent calendar kit

Best for trainspotters

If you like the idea of many of these kits but don’t have lots of crafty supplies, this one simply requires a printer and a bit of time.

This DIY kit comes as a downloadable printable PDF, which includes full instructions and video tutorials to help you assemble your papercraft train. To use it as a Christmas advent calendar, just make 24 boxes to go in the carriages and don’t forget to number them.

P.S. If you love the idea of a train but don’t feel up to getting crafty, you could always buy this reusable wooden advent calendar train - choo choo!

• Buy train boxes advent calendar from Etsy

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24. Charm bracelet advent calendar kit

Best for a very special advent

For our final offering we’ve found one that involves a bit of crafting and results in a special Christmas gift.

With this kit, you get a daily themed charm which allows you to build up your own Christmas-themed silver-plated bracelet. You don’t need any specialist tools or jewellery-making experience, as full instructions are provided.

• Buy charm bracelet advent calendar kit from Etsy

Get creative for a Christmas to remember

In recent years there’s been a trend for extravagant and expensive advent calendars, but with everybody feeling the pinch right now we’ve tried to include a range of kits to suit all budgets.

Getting crafty is not only a great way to save the pennies, but it’s also a far more memorable gift and experience. Your unique calendar will be treasured and remembered for years, far more so than anything shop-bought – plus you also get to enjoy a bit of crafting time yourself!

More ways to get crafty this Christmas

If you’re feeling festive and are looking for even more creative inspiration, check out these Christmas crafts for adults on Gathered.