I’ve wanted to make an advent calendar that’s a little more special than the standard chocolate ones for years, and whilst I love the look of the pocketed fabric advent calendars, I also don’t like how they are slightly restrictive on gift size.

I don’t want to fill it with small plastic tat or rely too heavily on sweet treats either - my kids certainly have enough of those throughout December - so this offers up a way of incorporating something beautiful that’s a Christmas decoration in its own right alongside a less restrictive way to include whatever size gifts you want!

I’ve concentrated on craft kits, activities and a few Christmas baubles for their tree (as it currently just displays all the sad rejects from the big tree!) Some gifts will be for all three to share (ie. a chocolate bar or pack of stickers), some days there is something for each of them (i.e three draw your own puzzles) and some days there are singular gifts or decorative bits to enjoy. I’m hoping they’ll take it in turns to open the gifts but maybe that’s optimistic. We shall see!

If you want more gift guides, see my Christmas gift guides here.

How to create a Hanging Christmas Garland Advent Calendar:

Find a strong branch and attach to your ceiling using cup hooks and very strong string or wire. I’ve actually used an incredibly strong thread I use in curtain making which is holding it all up amazingly well.
Gather yew branches and holly (ensuring you ask permission first if not your property) to decorate the branch and intertwine with paper stars, decorative baubles, bells or battery powered twinkly lights.
Gather your items and gift wrapping for the gifts (mine are all from Sostrene Grene as part of a pr product for some content on Instagram) but you can also look in charity shops, supermarkets, craft shops or books shops.
Think of a way to number each item. I used these fun advent pegs but you can also use stickers, clothes pegs (number them yourself), ink stamps or parcel tags.
Wrap up your gifts for each day. I loved using a variety of wrapping papers and also some fabric stockings I made. Decorate the gifts with tags or old Christmas cards if you like. Remember the items will spin around so you will see the back of each gift. I wish I had considered this, and used matt tape or something more aesthetically pleasing as some of the gifts are not as pretty from the back!
Hang them from your branch using strong string and mini bulldog clips. I mixed up my order so the kids have to search for the correct day each morning.

Top Tip for Alternative Advent Calendar Ideas:

If you want to include less gifts in your calendar, it’s also a great way to display an activity calendar. You could hang 24 different postcards, fronts of old Christmas cards, or just cards with a number painted on etc, and pop an activity idea on the back. If you don’t have the time or inclination to hang these from a garland, you could just pop them in a pretty jar with a ribbon tied around it and get your children to pull one out each day.