One of our favorite holiday traditions each year is our Advent Calendars. This is something we all look forward to! I have so much fun collecting fun items for each kid. It truly brings so much joy each morning the month of December!
We have had several different types of Advent Calendars over the years, but this one is my absolute favorite. This is so well made and sturdy. It can hold a ton! They are classic and clean. I also love that they are not too "kiddie" so the kids won't grow out of them anytime soon. In fact, I plan to do these Advent Calendar every single year until forever! Haha.
In this blog, I will be sharing 24 Fun Advent Calendar Fillers! I do a several repeats in the kids Advent Calendars so there may be multiple pockets filled with Christmas ornaments, chocolate gold coins, candy canes, Christmas pens, etc. Our Elves, Rudy and Snowflake, are the ones who fill these magical Advent Calendars each year. You can read more about our Elves here: 11 Creative Elf on the Shelf Ideas.
24 Fun Advent Calendar Fillers:
1. Christmas Straws
These fun Christmas Straws are so fun for the entire month of December. And they look really cute poking out of the Advent Calendar! :)
2. Fun Pens + Pencils
My kids love getting holiday pens and pencils. I usually also give them a mini notebook (see number 18) and they use these throughout the season! *Note: Sometimes I order things in bulk and will save extras to use again the following year for their Advent Calendar fillers.
3. Festive Stickers
These Festive Stickers are always a hit! I've never met a kid who didn't love stickers.
4. Candy Canes, Chocolate Gold Coins + Pop Rocks
I put these throughout the calendar so the pop out the top of the Advent Calendar to give it a festive look. The kids are always excited about the Pop Rocks. I always loved getting Chocolate Gold Coins when I was a kid! They will forever and always remind me of Christmas. And you can't go the month of December without Candy Canes!
5. Ornaments
I absolutely love picking out new ornaments for the kids each year. Sometimes I find them while I'm out and about but I also love getting personalized ornaments for the kids. We may need a bigger "kids tree" for the basement this year! It's starting to get really full with all the ornaments we've collected over the years.
I have to get Ryder this popcorn ornament this year. Haha, this kid loves his popcorn! And how adorable is this dancer ornament for Blakely? I love having ornaments for their current interests and then writing the year on the back of it so we always remember.
These can be a little trickier to fit into the Advent Calendar, but I've always managed! I love when they stick out a little bit so the kids can get a peek.
6. Bracelets
Some days the Advent Calendars are filled with something a little extra special. Last year Blakely got a bracelet set and she loved it! These unicorn bracelets are adorable and I love these trendy bracelets. This is a cool bracelet for boys! And of course this WWJD bracelet is perfect for the season.
7. Christmas Marshmallows
These Christmas Marshmallows are a hit! They are so fun for hot chocolate and festive decor to any Christmas charcuterie board. I always gift these in the kids Advent Calendars early on so we can use them throughout the month of December.
8. Mini Lego Sets
I love these mini Lego Sets because they are quick and fun - and fit perfectly in the Advent Calendar! These Lego Dots are also a huge hit!
9. Whoopee Cushion
Our Elves always bring us Whoopee Cushions! Haha. These provide lots of laughs each year.
10. Christmas Glasses
These Christmas Glasses are so much fun! Take these in the car while looking at Christmas lights and it adds a little extra festive flair.
11. Holiday Socks
My kids live for their Holiday Socks. Haha. Always a big win! Who doesn't love warm fuzzy socks in December?
12. Kids Crafts
These Bead Activity Kits are loved by all. These Wooden Christmas Ornaments are also a fun idea and would look so cute inside the Advent Calendars!
13. Watch
A new watch is always fun for kids! Like I said earlier, I will take these gifts out of their original packaging so they fit easily into the Advent Calendar. I buy special wrapping paper specific to each kid and wrap up the gifts that are more significant (aka more exciting than a candy cane) so they can't see or peek at all the gifts inside their Advent Calendars.
Added bonus: Get a waterproof watch and they can wear it in the shower or bath! This watch looks identical to an Apple Watch! (See number 16 for more bath time ideas.)
14. Games
Games are so fun! This Vintage Metal Jacks game was a blast last year for the kids. These Magnetic Rings have also been a big win over here. These Transformable Robots and Fidget Sensory toys are always entertaining.
Ryder has this Mini Chess Set and it's so funny. Haha. So hard to play with adult hands but he loves it! Click here to see lots of other fun mini games to add to the kids Advent Calendars!
15. Keychains
Kids love keychains! I love these custom Keychains - the come in multiple color options. These beaded custom Keychains are also so much fun. My kids always want cool keychains.
16. Bubble Bath
This Mr. Bubbles Magic Bath Crackles looks so fun for bath time! My kids always enjoy bath bombs as well. These Christmas Bath Bombs come with toys inside! When my kids were a little younger they loved Bathtub Fingerpaint and Bathtub Crayons.
17. Nail Polish
This non-toxic nail polish set is darling. I open things like this up so they are smaller and I can put them into the Advent Calendar pockets. I also love this InstaDri polish. Especially with kids!
18. Mini Notebooks
My kids absolutely love mini notebooks! These Christmas Mini Notebooks are darling. Or these Mini Puppy Notebooks would also be fun. These pair perfectly with number 2 on this list!
19. Toothbrush
This is always a good idea around the holidays, am I right? As hard we try to keep it in check, there is just a lot of sugar around the holidays. So a fun toothbrush just makes sense! Haha. I love these Crayola Toothbrushes because they are colorful and look so cute in their Advent Calendars.
20. Christmas Coupons
These are so cute! I love the Christmas Coupons and think kids would eat this up. This could be something simple like a cake pop at Starbucks or a longer bedtime tuck-in. I've given the kids gift cards in their Advent Calendars to get frozen yogurt and that was a blast! Those sneaky Elves are so much fun. ;)
21. Wallet
Getting a wallet is so exciting for kids. These Trifold Wallets are awesome and come in several colors/prints. This is something I would wrap so they couldn't peek. Their wrapping paper always looks so cute poking out of the Advent Calendars.
22. Fidget Spinner
A fidget spinner is always a good idea! These provide lots of entertainment for the kids and fit perfectly into the Advent Calendar.
23. Chapstick
These colorful Lip Smacker Crayolas are adorable. I love the pops of color sticking out of the pockets in the Advent Calendar.
24. Christmas Bows
Gifting a holiday bow in the Advent Calendar is fun for the holidays! I also love these festive bows.
There are several videos about our Advent Calendars in saved "highlights" on my Insta account: @stef.hubble You can check those stories/videos out to see more details of what they look like close up.
And don't forget your matching Christmas pajamas! These are so much fun each year. I love matching pj's over the holidays. We are big fans of matching family holiday pajamas from Amazon and Hanna Andersson.
Christmas time is so magical! Advent Calendars have been one of our favorite traditions of the seasons. You can also read about our Elf traditions here: 11 Creative Elf on the Shelf Ideas.
