Enjoy the best of the holidays with these simple and inexpensive ideas for an Advent calendar. Advent calendar ideas for her,  for him and ideas for kids. Updated for 2024.

It's almost December 1st which means, if you plan to create a DIY Advent Calendar or Christmas Countdown Calendar for your family for the holiday season, now is the time to do so! 

The holidays always go by way too fast and having an Advent calendar ensures you make the most out of every day. It's a fun way to feel that Christmas magic and guarantees you get to spend more time together.

Generally, you can't go wrong with candy, snacks, inexpensive toys or gadgets, personal care products, art supplies or small crafts, and collectibles. 

But planning a whole month of activity or gifts can feel daunting, so today I'm sharing 75+ ideas for Advent calendar gifts, fillers, and activities. With these Advent calendar ideas, you'll feel prepared to deliver on all the daily surprises for your loved ones. 

Not only that but don't forget to sign up to receive your FREE Advent printables to make this holiday tradition even easier!

Note: affiliate links have been used in this post for shopping convenience.

But First, What Is An Advent Calendar?

Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means "arrival". The Advent season is observed in most Christian denominations as a time for preparing and celebrating the arrival of Christmas and the birth of Christ, while non-Christians have embraced Advent as a four-week countdown to Christmas.

Advent calendars are designed to build anticipation to Christmas Day. Though the start of Advent changes every year in the church calendar (it begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas), Advent calendars keep things simple and start on December 1st and end on December 24th or 25th.

💡 Table of Contents:

• Types of Advent Calendars
• Pre-Assembled 2024 Advent Calendars
• Advent calendars for kids
• Advent calendars for adults
• DIY Advent Calendar Ideas
• Advent Calendar Activities for Families
• Advent Calendar Gifts and Filler Ideas
• Advent ideas for kids
• Advent ideas for her
• Advent ideas for him

If you're not the crafty or DIY type, or simply don't have the time, you can always use pre-assembled Advent calendars which have the calendar and gifts ready to go for each day. Here's my favourite all-in-one Advent calendars for the 2024 Christmas season.

• LEGO Star Wars 2023 Advent Calendar
• Kids Hot Wheels 2024 Advent Calendar
• Barbie Doll Fashion Advent Calendar
• Fisher Price Little People Advent Calendar
• Bluey's Advent Calendar Pack [Amazon Exclusive]
• Funko Pop! Advent Calendar: Stranger Things 2024
• LEGO Disney Advent Calendar
• LEGO 2024 Harry Potter Advent Calendar
• 24 Days of Brain Teaser Puzzles
• LEGO City 2024 Advent Calendar
• LEGO Friends Advent Calendar
• Christmas Advent Calendar Mini Crafts & Jewelry
• 24 Days of Slime Advent Calendar
• PAW Patrol Advent Calendar
• Play-Doh Advent Calendar
• National Geographic 2024 Gemstones Advent Calendar
• Mattel Disney Princess Advent Calendar

Advent calendars for adults:

I've been making an Advent calendar for my daughter Chloe since she was 2 years old and it's our favourite way to make the most of the festive season. This year, I'll continue to use our Advent calendar made from small 4x6" cotton bags. The bags are large enough to hold small gifts and have a drawstring so I can attach them to a ribbon.

No matter what your calendar looks like though, you'll need to put something inside it. What do you put in an Advent calendar? My favourite kinds are ones that have an Advent activity for the family to enjoy together plus little gifts. 

There's lots of gift ideas for filling Advent calendars below - remember, you only need 24 to get to the big day! As a bonus, I've included some FREE downloads too to save you time and effort in putting together your own Advent Calendar so sign up for those at the end of this post!

Advent Calendar Activities for Families:

For our Advent calendar ideas, I like to include a task or activity for each day. Completing daily activities is a great way to ensure you spend time together as a family and get out and do things (despite the wintry weather!). But before you create your list of Advent calendar activities, here's a few tips:

• Look at what you already have scheduled for the month of December. Are you going to watch The Nutcracker, visit a tree farm with a family member, or watch a school play? Include those activities for those confirmed dates - just don't tell the kids beforehand and it will still be a surprise ;)
• Be aware of which days are weekends and which are weeknights. Weeknights tend to be busy so you might want to avoid including a time-consuming activity like "watch a Christmas movie" for those nights
• Think about gifts you were already planning to give, such as Christmas pajamas, hot chocolate mixes, or the Twas the Night Before Christmas book. Could you incorporate those gifts into the daily activities somehow? One gift I give each year to my daughter is a Lego Advent Calendar. Now, I assign it as the first Advent activity "Open a Gift!". It's a tradition she looks forward to.

Advent calendar fillers don't need to be expensive or elaborate - it really is the thought that counts! But you can heighten the surprise by incorporating a variety of gifts that are cute, funny, or unique. You can shop for fillers at craft stores, dollar stores, toy stores, and even the grocery store.

But don't feel pressured to include a physical gift every single day! Advent shouldn't be stressful and put additional expensive gifts onto your already-long shopping list. Instead, look at the daily activity as the "main" item and any gift or treat as a bonus. 

I include only 5-6 gifts in my calendar and most of the gifts relate to the day's activity. For example, if the day's activity is "make a craft", I might include dollar store art supplies as the gift. But sometimes, the gift is unrelated and is purely just for fun (side note: Chocolate is ALWAYS appreciated, lol!). 

If you are intent on giving small items every day though (and want to keep it budget friendly), consider "splitting up" a gift and spread it out over several days. Perhaps you gift figurines for a doll house and there's one small piece each day.

75+ Advent calendar gifts ideas and fillers for kids and adults.

Advent ideas for kids:

1. Cute charging cord protectors
2. Harry Potter snitch hot chocolate bomb
3. Dollhouse furniture (give 1 piece a day)
4. 5300 pcs bracelet making kit
5. Artificial snow maker
6. Temporary tattoos
7. Mini Elf on the Shelf gingerbread house kit
8. Handwritten poem, love note, or riddle
9. 100% Natural seasonal lip balm
10. Mochi squishy toys
11. Chocolate Santa
12. 2024 Christmas photo frame ornament to hang on the tree
13. Build-a-snowman clay character kit pack
14. Hair scrunchies, hair clips or hairbrush (we love this 'no tangles' hairbrush)
15. Homemade coupon for something fun like "Stay up 20 mins late". Check out this post for more coupon ideas
16. Kids non-toxic peelable nail polish kit
17. Paint your own dinosaur kit
18. Cute plush hamster keychain
19. Monopoly Bid card game for families
20. Wooden ornament Christmas craft kit
21. DIY friendship bracelet kit
22. Rainbow bath bomb
23. Crayola Colors of the World markers
24. Art brushes or canvas painting kit
25. Mini animal erasers
26. Bead box kit
27. Glitter crayons or mess-free markers
28. Journal or sketch book
29. Family picture or photo album
30. Fun socks
31. Magic 8 Ball or puzzle
32. Funny cat pen holder phone stand
33. A Christmas board book 
34. Invisible ink pen
35. Washi tape
36. Glow in the dark Christmas temporary tattoos
37. Charades for kids
38. Rubik's cube
39. Would You Rather book
40. Travel UNO Card Game for families
41. Original Squishmallows slime
42. Money

1. Assorted LINDOR chocolate truffles 
2. Initial necklace
3. 9-piece Spa headband & wristband set
4. Limited edition scents holiday hand soaps
5. Pretty sticky notes
6. Rechargeable portable mini fan
7. Portable charger
8. Trendy open heart pendant necklace
9. Cozy candy cane socks
10. A chic brass bell ornament
11. Gingerbread stoneware mug
12. Reusable striped everyday tote bag
13. Gel ink pens
14. Weekly planner stickers
15. Shower steamers
16. Hair ties (these are our favourites!)
17. Holiday face mask kit
18. Seasonal lip balms
19. Magnetic measuring spoons
20. Rose gold heart initial letter bracelet
21. Silicone keychain wristlet
22. Bath bombs
23. Magnetic bookmarks
24. Essential oil

SHOP THESE IDEAS:

1. Cozy buffalo plaid socks
2. Multi-tool pen
3. Milk frother
4. Back scratcher
5. Pack of 3 pickleballs
6. Airpods earbuds cleaning kit
7. Winter beanie
8. Beaded bracelets
9. Tire pressure gauge
10. Magnetic wristband for screws
11. iPhone screen protector
12. BBQ grill mats
13. Sneaker deodorizers
14. Magnetic pickup tool with light
15. Nail clipper set
16. Waterproof playing cards
17. Emergency seat belt cutter and window hammer tool
18. Working hands cream
19. Desk cord organizer
20. Dog dad keychain
21. Massage ball
22. Rechargeable bike lights
23. Cooling towel