DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar Ideas to Love

The Christmas countdown is about to start! One of our favorite ways to savor the season is with a 25 Days of Christmas calendars, and what a better way to kick of the season than by making your own? Learn how to make your own easy and quick DIY Christmas tree advent calendar!

Family Christmas tree decorated with photo ornaments and personalized advent gift boxes with lights and red bow.

Table of Contents

Why Christmas trees? Because they are one of the most fun ways to do these calendars. The numbers perfectly align, and they don’t have to take up any space either.

The Advent Season represents the start of a church calendar (also called a liturgical calendar) and marks the four weeks leading up to Christmas and the birth of baby Jesus. The word 'advent' means coming in Latin.

So, I have rounded up some of my favorite advent calendars you can make, several in less than an hour!

DIY Christmas Advent Calendar FAQ’s

What are some advent calendar filler ideas?

Advent calendar filler ideas can include small toys, chocolates, festive stickers, inspirational quotes, holiday-themed mini ornaments, and even handwritten notes with daily activities or surprises to make the countdown to Christmas more engaging and fun for everyone. Using my Christmas Bucket list, I plan out Dec 1-24 and all of the things I want to accomplish from decorating the tree to charitable activities.

How many boxes are in an advent calendar?

How many boxes/slots is going to depend on how many days you want to do the countdown to Christmas for. Many people choose to do December 1st to the 24th or 25th, however, traditionally the Christmas countdown begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas. In that case, you would count the number of days between then and Christmas day and that would give you the number of boxes to use.

Is an advent calendar a good Christmas gift?

An advent calendar would be a good Christmas gift if given at the beginning of the Christmas season as the point of it is to countdown to Christmas. You could, however, make a cute DIY Christmas advent calendar for your family members to gift for them to use every year as a fun Christmas tradition for the next Christmas season.

Can Christmas advent calendars be for adults?

Absolutely! There is no age limit for your own Christmas advent calendar. The only thing that would differentiate would be the filler you choose for the advent calendar if you are deciding to gift little treats with it.

Can I buy a cute advent calendar?

Yes. You can buy Christmas advent calendars from so many places. Costco, Target, Michaels, Amazon, Etsy, just to name a few. If you are not in the mood to create your own DIY advent calendar after this tutorial, try a quick Google search and I am sure you’ll find exactly what you are looking for.

What should be included with a DIY advent calendar?

A DIY advent calendar should include the calendar itself, which could be a crafted display or a set of numbered envelopes or pockets, and the daily surprises or treats to be placed inside, such as small gifts, candies, notes, or other items tailored to the recipient’s preferences. It’s also a good idea to include any necessary hanging hardware or instructions for setup.

DIY Advent Calendar Ideas

While an advent calendar doesn’t have to be shaped like a Christmas tree, I am a huge fan of them! There are many styles to help you count down the days, like these examples:

Wooden advent calender made from paint sticks.

This easy to build Advent Calendar is actually made from paint sticks! Both affordable and a cute advent calendar, you can see the full tutorial for this Farmhouse Advent Calendar here.

Small Christmas tree featuring an advent calendar made of garland with notes and snowflake clothespins.

The Countdown tree deserves a special shoutout. It is actually a 25 Days of STEM learning experience full of experiments and fun activities for the kids. Discover the many great STEM activities for kids for your own 25 days of Christmas STEM Activity Ideas.

Christmas tree countdown calendar made from pvc pipes.

How fun and modern looking is this Countdown Calendar?! Get the full tutorial for this PVC Pipe Countdown Calendar from Dukes & Duchesses. If you’re on a budget this Holiday you’ll love this almost free diy punch out advent calendar idea.

Save toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, or plastic cups and you’ve got an awesome Advent Calendar Christmas Tree!

Wood Christmas tree advent calendar with base.

An absolute classic! This Wooden Advent Calendar is made out of some scraps and a pallet. The tutorial even gives you perfect measurements. Not only is it a beginner build, but it will hold up for years to come! I love that this wooden advent calendar is in the shape of a Christmas tree and that the numbers start at the top of the calendar, going down in order. No need to search for the date!

DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

Another way to make a Christmas Tree Advent calendar is to make numbered ornaments in small boxes that you put on the actual tree. This is the perfect advent calendar for kids who love opening little toys or little treats during the season. I completed a very similar project and have included step by step instructions for this project.

Like most, we have family members visit us every Christmas and I wanted to do something special for them that celebrated the season in a fun way. I was inspired by an advent calendar I saw a long time ago with treats in little boxes for each day.

Christmas tree with red ribbon, lights, berries, family photo ornaments, and personalized gifts with name tags.

My version is slightly different because I have a treat box with small gifts for each family member rather than each day. However, it works both ways easily and I will show you how! This was a fun way to countdown to the big day and serves as wonderful holidaysSeason random acts of kindness.

Putting the presents on the tree…now that is thinking outside the box! (forgive me. Bad jokes are also a family trait.)

DIY Present Ornaments

The best part about this simple advent calendar is that you are slowly taking away the Christmas decorations throughout the season, so after Christmas Day you will have less to take off of the tree to put away!

Here is how to make these beautiful DIY Present Ornaments for your homemade advent calendar.

Supplies

Treat Boxes – ones that are slightly taller like these work great
Red Ribbon
Jewelry or hanging wire
Hot glue and gun
Names or Numbers- a silver paint marker or you can use this tutorial to create your own wire names

Steps of gluing red ribbon to small personalized gift box ornaments.

Instructions

Hot glue the ribbon on the bottom of the box in a cross with the ends inside the box. Repeat for the top.
To make a bow, cut a length of ribbon about 1 ½ the width of the box. Fold in half and crease. Put a dab of hot glue along the crease. Lay out flat and bring each end into the center and press into the glue (be careful not to touch the glue though!)
Take a second shorter length of ribbon and wrap around the center of the bow perpendicularly. Put a dab of hot glue on the back side where the ends are. Attach bow to box with more hot glue.
Either write the names with a metallic paint pen or attach wire names. I poked a few tiny holes into the box lid and sewed the names on using the hanging wire.
To hang, poke two holes on either side of the ribbon on one end of the box or in the corner. Loop the hanging wire through the holes and tie in a knot.

Personalized DIY small gift boxes with red ribbon and and metal name tag hanging on Christmas tree.

To add to the family theme of the tree, I also made these simple ornaments with a few family pictures.

More Christmas tree and decorating ideas:

DIY round ornament with red and white ribbon detail hanging on Christmas tree.

I bet you have some awesome and unique family traditions during the holidays. I am always so curious about how other families celebrate. Share them with me in the comments below! The more unique, the better!

Weekend DIY project. A pegboard organizer in the craft room above the desk workspace.

More Christmas Ideas:

PS I love seeing your creations! Be sure to take a photo and tag #cravingcreative on Instagram! You can also stay in touch with me through following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and subscribing to the newsletter!