Whether you are looking for a Christmas advent calendar or looking for new ways to countdown the days to Hanukah, Ramadan, birthdays, or any other event or holiday, it can be difficult to find plastic-free or toy-free options.

Even though my husband and I are united in not buying more than a handful of new toys for our kiddo throughout the year, we still manage to amass tons of gifted toys, treats and loot bags throughout the year. For this reason, we are very minimal when it comes to holiday decorating and gift giving and try our best to resist buying any toy or treat-based advent calendars.

Make Your Own Countdown Calendar

Every year, I set out to create an advent calendar that offers different activities for the 24 days leading up to Christmas. My four-year-old has come to really enjoy this tradition, and has no idea that treats or toys are also an option in this type of a countdown calendar.

What You’ll Need

This year, I took inspiration from Scandanavian decor and decided to use a wooden dowel holding small envelopes with instructions for easy, fun winter activities my kiddo and I could do as a family. What I love about this project is that it is reusable, and I can just change out the order of the activities from event to event or year to year.

Below is the complete list of the items you will need to create this project. The following list may contain affiliate links. I only recommend products I believe will add value to you:

• Dowel

• Small Envelopes

• Printer to print the activity list, or you can handwrite yours out on small cards

• Hole Punch

• Ribbon or Twine

• Scissors

• Numbered Stickers

• Festive holiday or seasonal stickers depending on the event

You will also need a list of activities to choose from, and I have compiled a large list for you below. Feel free to print and cut out the activities to place into each envelope.

Step 1

Print the activities list and cut out the ones that work for you and your family.

Step 2

Place one number sticker on each envelope

Step 3

Punch holes in the envelopes

Step 4

Cut ribbon in varrying lengths

Step 5

Tie a cut ribbon onto each envelope

Step 6

Tie a piece of twine in two spots on your dowel to create a hanging strap

Step 7

Tie each envelope to the dowel, feel free to leave some ribbon overhanging for a stylized look

Step 8

Decorate as desired. For a Christmas theme, I add red bows, pine cones, or fresh spruce cuttings to the envelopes or dowel.

For other events and holidays, I get festive and use natural seasonal decor as fitting to the theme.

Step 9

Hang the calendar and start your daily countdown by opening one envelope and completing the corresponding activity. Enjoy!

Let me know if you make your own countdown calendar by commenting below, or by messaging me via instagram @positivelystrongliving. I would love to hear from you.

Wishing you positively strong holiday traditions,

Sunny