A couple of years ago, I came across the idea of doing a unique advent calendar using holiday stories instead of the typical chocolates or gifts. My son absolutely fell in love with this tradition of unwrapping a book to read each night before bed leading up to Christmas Day.
As we head into our third year of practicing this tradition, I thought I would share the DIY instructions. In the past, we have done a total of 24 books, but you can also just stick to 12 books. While we have some holidays books in our personal collection, I usually top up the stash by visiting the local library. Each year, I also try to buy a couple new books to add to our collection.
STEP 1: COLLECT THE SUPPLIES
The supplies needed are as follows:
- 12 or 24 Christmas/Holiday Story Books
- Wrapping Paper or Recycled Newspaper
- Scissors
- Tape
- Free Printable Advent Tags (See the bottom of the post)
STEP 2: WRAP THE BOOKS
Cover each book in paper. Add a numbered tag (1-12 or 1-24) to the outside of each. If your tree is up, place them under it with the numbers showing. If your tree is not up, place them in a central area of your home.
Alternatively, you can easily place them into brown bags and attach the tags with clothespins, that can be used year after year.
STEP 3: ENJOY THE EXCITEMENT AND SHARING OF STORIES
Depending on the number of books you have, start opening them on December 1 (24 books) or on December 13 (12 books). I usually ensure the last book opened and read on Christmas Eve is “The Night Before Christmas”; however, there is no order necessary.
While this takes a bit of effort to organize, the benefits are plentiful. In my opinion, it doesn’t get better than celebrating the holidays and reading to your kids!
Printable Tags
