How to make a homemade advent calendar: 4 methods, from 10 minutes to a weekend

Every homemade advent calendar is the same three things: 24 containers, 24 numbers, 24 fillings. The only real decision is how much time you want to spend on the containers. Here are four options, ranked by effort, with what each one costs and how it looks at the end.

Method 1: Envelopes on a string (10 minutes)

You need: 24 small envelopes, a pen or number stamp, 2 metres of twine, 24 wooden pegs. Cost: under $10.

1. Number the envelopes 1 to 24. A stamp looks better than handwriting, but handwriting looks like you.
2. Fill them. Notes fold flat; small objects go in the bigger envelopes.
3. String the twine across a wall, a shelf, a mantel or a doorway.
4. Peg the envelopes on in order. Done.

This is the one to do if it's the 29th of November. It looks intentional, it takes no skill, and it's easy to add a late door.

Method 2: Matchbox drawers (one evening)

You need: 24 empty matchboxes (craft shops sell blanks), glue, a piece of card or a small frame, paint or paper for the fronts. Cost: $10–15.

1. Glue the matchbox sleeves together in a grid: 4 across, 6 down, or any shape you like.
2. Glue the grid to a backing card or into a box frame.
3. Paint or paper the drawer fronts, then number them.
4. Fill each drawer. They're small, so this is a calendar of notes and tiny things.

The one people photograph. Also the one that gets reused every year, which is the argument for spending the evening.

Method 3: Paper cones on a branch (one afternoon)

You need: 24 squares of paper (wrapping paper, kraft, old maps, sheet music), tape, ribbon, a bare branch from a walk. Cost: under $5.

1. Roll each square into a cone and tape the seam.
2. Punch two holes near the rim and thread a ribbon loop.
3. Number the cones. A small tag on the ribbon looks better than writing on the paper.
4. Balance the branch on two nails above the mantel, or stand it in a heavy vase, and hang the cones.

Cones hold more than envelopes: a chocolate, a candle, a small toy. And a bare branch with 24 cones looks like something from a magazine for the price of the paper.

Method 4: A box of doors (one weekend)

You need: a shallow wooden box or a sturdy cardboard one, thin card, a craft knife, a ruler, paint. Cost: $15–30 depending on the box.

1. Divide the inside of the box into 24 compartments with strips of card slotted together (cut halfway through each strip so they interlock).
2. Cut a front panel from thin card and score 24 doors into it, three sides each, so they fold open.
3. Number the doors, paint or paper the panel, and glue it to the box front.
4. Fill the compartments from behind, or leave the back open.

This is the heirloom version. It's also the one that goes wrong if you rush the measuring, so give it a Saturday and a Sunday.

What goes inside (any method)

The container is 20% of the calendar. The other 80% is the mix inside:

• At least 8 free doors: notes, memories, drawings, promises, photos.
• Around 12 small bought things: a good chocolate, tea, socks, a candle, a miniature.
• Three vouchers for time: a film night, a morning off, a cooked dinner.
• One bigger thing on the 24th.

Put the three best on the 1st, 12th and 24th. Never two notes in a row.

Method 5: no glue, no string, no shopping

If what you want is the daily surprise rather than the object, build it on their phone with Tailii. Twenty-four locked doors, each opening on its morning, each holding whatever you put there: a note, a photo, a drawing, a voice message, a video, a link. It takes an evening, costs nothing to fill, and it's the only method that works when the person is in another city.

What building one looks like, in 40 seconds:

Questions people ask