Christmas Advent Calendar - Frugal Fun Filler Ideas

Looking for a Christmas Advent Calendar that will provide some frugal fun this Christmas? I know I always am! I’ve got a bunch of ideas on how you can have some extra frugal fun with your kids using an Advent Calendar.

A few years ago I picked up festive Christmas Advent Calendar the day after Christmas during a major sale and we have been using it every year since!

As the years have gone by, we have modified the fun that is found inside the daily advent calendar! In this post, I’m going to share some frugal fun ideas to use your Christmas Advent Calendar to create lasting memories with your kids!

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What Is An Advent Calendar?

A Christmas Advent Calendar is a special calendar used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas.

Advent is a season observed in many Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus at Christmas and the return of Jesus at the Second Coming!

Use Your Christmas Advent Calendar As A Reminder

Our Advent Calendar is used as a simple reminder to celebrate the days leading up to the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day! We do this by having a special surprise that is found hidden behind each door of the calendar.

My Advent calendar looks like a house with little doors on it, numbered from 1-25. Behind each door I like to hide a special surprise for the day. I use a combination of small candy and little slips of paper with fun things activities or verse printed on them.

Some days, especially on really busy days, I will only place a few pieces of candy behind the door. Other days, I will include a little slip of paper with a fun activity printed on it. On the days when we are just exhausted, I will include a verse. The fun of a Christmas Advent Calendar is the surprise!

Supplies Needed to Make Your Own Christmas Advent Calendar

Advent Calendar
Small Candy
Activities printed on small slips of paper
Verses printed on small slips of paper

If you don’t have a Christmas Advent Calendar, you can make one! Try this Toilet Paper Roll Advent Calendar by A Mother Thing. Or check on Pinterest for lots of other cute ideas!

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Frugal Activities For Your Christmas Advent Calendar

Below are some ideas that you could include as your frugal activities. All you need to do is print and cut them out. Fold them up and fit them into your chosen day of your Christmas Advent Calendar.

There are many frugal activities you can do with your kids that you can include in your Christmas Advent Calendar. Click To Tweet

Christmas Advent Calendar Activities:

Have Dessert First Before Dinner
Make a Gingerbread House
Bake Christmas Cookies
Deliver Gifts To The Neighbors
Mystery Dinner
Picnic By The Fire
Go Look At Christmas Lights and Get Special Drinks on the Way
Go See Santa
Watch Polar Express
Watch Grinch Movie & Eat Grinch Cookies & Punch
Decorate Christmas Cookies
Make Ornaments
Go Ice Skating
Make a Christmas Craft
Go Skiing
Go For A Carriage Ride
Spice Drop STEM Activity With Whole Family
Playdough Sculpture Charades

Christmas Advent Calendar Verses:

Matthew 1:21 – “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Romans 12:10 – “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”
Matthew 1:23 – “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
John 1:14 – “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

How To Have Frugal Fun With a Christmas Advent Calendar

After you have collected all your supplies and have printed out your list of activities and verses, then decide what days you want to do each thing.

If your Christmas Advent Calendar allows you to, you might want to add your special surprise each day as you decide what you have time to do that day. Which is exactly how I like to use my Christmas Advent Calendar.

December is a such a busy month that even when I plan ahead, a lot of times, by the end of the day when we can actually do the special activity in the Advent Calendar that I had “planned” to do, I just don’t have the energy.

On those days I like to use either candy or a verse as our special surprise. Make it work for you – don’t make this neat idea just one more thing you have to do this Christmas.

Make It Work For You – With Little Stress

The whole point of a Christmas Advent Calendar is to celebrate and anticipate the birth of Jesus – not to add more stress to your life. I know you are busy momma! I get it! Because I get it, and am a busy mom too, I challenge you to not make this a chore. Make this meaningful, in the best, easiest, and least stressful way you can.

For you, it may look completely different than me – and that is ok! Maybe your Advent Calendar is simply filled with alternating days of verses and candy. Or maybe you pick just 3 activities total to do over the entire 25 days!

A Christmas Advent Calendar is a fun way to make lasting memories with your kids! Click To Tweet

I just want you to have a fun way to make lasting memories with your kids that won’t break the bank and will teach your kids to real meaning of Christmas.

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I pray that having an Advent Calendar is a blessing to your whole family this year and that you can start a new tradition that your kids will look forward to for years to come!