Sustainable Advent Calendars
Count down the days to a zero-waste Christmas with an eco-friendly advent calendar.
Advent calendars with chocolate treats have long been a tradition in our household and one that has always delighted my little son. Over the years, we've moved away from unhealthy chocolates to tiny plastic toys - teeny trains, mini action figures, and weird Tsum Tsum. The result has been a bucket in our playroom, which I have dubbed the advent calendar graveyard. For each plastic toy that was played with for a minute or two, it was displayed briefly, packed away and never touched again. How sad and wasteful!
With my daughter's arrival and the danger of doubling our waste, we decided to ditch disposable advent calendars for a more sustainable and thoughtful alternative.
The advent calendar is a tradition that dates back from the 19th century. The days were marked by burning a candle or by simply drawing a chalk line every day.[1]
Alex has a woodland-themed calendar made out of cotton from Pottery Barn. Cora is too young for her own just yet.
Heirloom-quality advent calendar
Whether you choose wood, fabric, or DIY, get an advent calendar that you love so that it gets used for many years to come. So how do you fill it? With whatever suits your family! That's what's great about creating your own advent calendar. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Give a gift
Many of our advent calendar pockets won't be filled with a gift but a note to give instead. Consumerism is fun and all, but I believe it's essential to teach Alex and Cora that Christmas is about generosity and not only about getting gifts.
A handwritten note - give a gift to your sibling. (hand-made, bake, kind words, etc.)
A handwritten note - help your neighbour. (rake leaves, shovel snow etc.)
Props for open-ended play
Small wooden parts, polished stones, and seashells are all great items to inspire children's imaginations.
Grapat set made from sustainable wood.
Books
We love books! Now obviously, these won't fit. I leave a note in the box for larger items and send my son out for a scavenger hunt.
Hobbies
Music Lovers - Guitar pick, tuner, or ocarina
Artists - Paint tubes, polymer clay, or metallic pens
Craft Lovers - Rubber stamps and stickers
Lego Enthusiasts - Mini figures, mini-figure parts from LEGO pick-a-brick
Fashion Enthusiasts - Temporary stamps, nail polish, hair clips
Trading Card Game Enthusiasts - Pokemon cards, Magic cards, Yu-Gi-Oh cards
No-Gift Advent Calendar
If you can get away with it, and your kids are little with no expectations, then do away with the calendar gifts and go with an activity instead.
Christmas Countdown on Santa’s Beard
You and your child can count down to Christmas by making a Santa beard and adding a cotton ball representing each day until the 25th! Download the activity from Education.com.
