The Ultimate Guide To 300+ Ideas For Advent Calendar Fillers

You’ve decided to treat your friend or family member to a fabulous Homemade Advent Calendar.  Yey, we’re so happy for you both! 

But the pressure to come up with 24 thoughtful unique Advent Calendar Fillers (without breaking the bank) can be overwhelming.  Do not dismay … we are here to help.

We’ve got a whole host of inspiration guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing freely!  By the time you’ve investigated all our suggestions, you’ll wish there were more days in December!

Scroll down for all the details and links.  Happy Browsing!

Let’s Talk Advent Calendar Fillers

Here are our two golden rules when it comes to selecting advent calendar fillers:

1. Don’t Bankrupt Yourself!

Always set yourself a realistic budget and stick to it.  Don’t be afraid to fill most days with little chocolate coins or handwritten jokes & notes, and just select a handful of days for larger treats. 

It’s your design, and it will be an indulgent and thoughtful treat for your loved one no matter what form it takes. 

2. Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff!

Those intricately handcrafted wooden advent calendars in the shops may look gorgeous but all too often cause unnecessary stress when trying to find fillers that actually fit inside. 

We would always recommend buying or making a calendar with larger daily spaces to add your treats. 

Then you can focus your attention firmly on finding fabulous thoughtful treats to include, without needing to take a ruler to the shops!  

(If you have fallen in love with, or inherited, a calendar with small pockets/drawers, consider a treasure-hunt approach – insert folded handwritten notes into the calendar which provide clues to the location of larger treats.)

What Sorts Of Things Work As Advent Calendar Fillers?

Of course Advent Calendar Fillers can be anything you want; nothing is off limits. However, we tend to find it easiest to think of them as small Stocking Stuffers.

That being said, there are a couple of key differences that are worth bearing in mind:

1. The Christmassy-er The Better!

Stocking contents are typically focused on refilling drawers & cupboards for the New Year, together with a few indulgent treats to enjoy over the Christmas holiday.

Advent Calendar Fillers, on the other hand, offer the perfect opportunity to gift your friends and family those Christmas Socks, that Festive Scrubbing Brush or Brussel Sprout Woolly Hat.

By 25th December, it often feels a bit late to be starting a Christmas read or painting on your sparkly red nail polish.  But through the advent calendar, we can share some light-hearted festive merriment earlier in the month.

2. Activities and Homemade Treats

There is so much scope in a homemade advent calendar to include items you’ve handmade or share details of activities you have planned. 

By adding activities to the advent calendar it really ups the Christmas magic and makes more of an occasion even of just going for a simple winter stroll.

Round-Up of Advent Calendar Filler Ideas

We’ve rounded up all our posts sharing ideas of what to include in your homemade advent calendar.  We really hope that it will give you lots of ideas and inspiration to make a December to remember for your lucky someone!

What other advent calendar filler ideas have you got up your sleeve?  Do let us know in the comments below!  What else would you like to see on our guide?