DIY Christmas Book Advent Calendar

Are you looking for a magical way to build up the excitement to Christmas with young children? I might have the perfect idea for you today especially if you have a little book worm.

I still remember my eldest daughter’s second Christmas, she was just 20 months old. I wanted an advent calendar for her and a way for us to enjoy the Christmas build up together. I didn’t really see how giving her a square of chocolate everyday was going to much more than get her in to the habit of expecting chocolate everyday. Then I came across the idea of a book advent calendar and thought it sounded like a lovely idea.

A book advent calendar is a great way to share the magic of Christmas. Everyday in December your child unwraps a book for you to read to them. Before you worry this is an expensive idea, I’ve got lots of ideas to make it affordable so read on for these. My daughter enjoyed it so much that this year will be our 5th year of doing this kind of advent calendar. I now have 2 little girls who love finding a book wrapped up under the Christmas tree each morning.

Where to find 24 books

At first the idea of having to buy 24 Christmas books might sound expensive but it needn’t be. There are many different options to keep the costs down.

* The books don’t have to all be Christmas themed. I usually start off with some books that are more winter than Christmas themed. I shared my favourite winter books here (and will be adding more soon) and move on to Christmas ones as the month progresses.

*  First look on your own bookshelves and see what you have. Your child won’t care if the book is new. I find for my two it’s the novelty of finding a book wrapped up each morning they enjoy. My eldest was old enough last year to realise some of the books were already hers but she never commented.

* Visit your local library and borrow some suitable books. We can borrow up to 20 books on a kid’s library card. Start looking now if you can renew books online.

* Have a look in charity shops, car boot sales for second hand books.

* If you have really young children then you could repeat some books later in the month without them complaining.

* Do you have friends or family members that are also thinking of doing a book advent calendar? Perhaps you could look at the option of swapping some books part way through the month.

Preparing your book advent calendar

Once you have your 24 books, gather them together and decide how you want to present the advent calendar. The first year I did it, I wrapped all 24 books with wrapping paper. From the second year I decided to try something a bit more reusable. I purchased some Christmas fabric and ribbon. Now I just keep all 24 books together somewhere out of sight and each night I wrap a new book up.

It’s that simple to start a lovely new Christmas tradition with your children.

About the Guest Author
I’m Claire, a married, mum to two young girls, living in Cheshire. I’ve written a blog for over 10 years now, including The Ladybird’s Adventures. I love photography and sharing our adventures which hopefully inspires you to have more fun too. Find me on Instagram and Facebook, too.