Personalized Advent Calendars

I like to make advent calendars for my kids ... and by kids I mean young adults who are 20 and 22 years old. Crazy, I know. I can't help myself though. I really love being creative and especially when that creativity means giving little treats to younguns that are off at university and working hard. 

Every year I think of a new advent calendar to send them.  I could make the same one every year, but where would be the fun in that. So I thought long and hard about what to make this year. The few non-negotiables were that the advent calendar must be able to be mailed since both Kate and William are away at university; the treats would be chocolates because in our family treats=chocolates; and it had to be suitable for someone in their 20s.  

After some thought I came up with the idea to make personalized advent calendars so they would suit the individual child. I used toilet paper rolls cut in half for both advent calendars. They were the perfect size to hold the chocolates and were the right price. 

Personalized Advent Calendar #1
Kate was overseas for the first half of this year studying at the University of Bath and doing lots of traveling. I decided to make her advent calendar with little sketches illustrating her year as it unfolded. I started off with our home with the Christmas tree up and then her flight to the UK and then her time in Paris etc. I cut out small rectangles the size of the half toilet paper rolls and sketched and then painted the little scenes to fit.  I either used Kate's photos or searched online for some inspiration as to what to draw because believe me I'm not able to draw without looking at a picture.  I then glued the little scenes on the toilet paper rolls which contained the chocolates. The little chocolate packages were then taped to three rows of ribbons which were attached to a branch.

Personalized Advent Calendar #2
William has been studying hard and learning not one, but two languages - both French and Chinese. I really admire his perseverance. He has taught himself enough that he has read French philosophy and the Tao Te Ching in the original languages. So I thought his advent calendar could help expand his vocabulary to include Christmas-related words, you know words like 'candle', 'joy', 'sheep' - things that might not show up in a philosophy book.

Fortunately I had the help of our eldest son (who is also learning Chinese and French) and our daughter-in-law. It actually took some managing to get the Chinese character drawn with the corresponding French word (done the right way up) on the back. I was the translator and director (and photographer) and Malcolm drew the Chinese characters and Christie wrote the French word in calligraphy. It was definitely a team effort.

I assembled the calendar by putting the chocolate inside the half toilet paper roll, stringing a piece of twine through it, and taping it shut.

And then I packaged them up and sent them off to the hard-working students. The countdown begins!

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Easy Advent Calendar Roll

It's that time again - time to make advent calendars and get them in the mail so they can be enjoyed by the younguns off at university.  Given the age of our children I just go right for chocolate and don't bother with other little treats.  A daily dose of chocolate is just what the doctor ordered at this stressful time of the school year.

I wanted to create an advent calendar that was both simple to make and easy to send in the mail.  I came up with a design that reminds me of little girl's smocked dresses and reminds my husband of intestines - so you take your pick.  Either way it fits the requirements and will be appreciated by the kids.

Each advent calendar required the following:
-- 4 sheets of tissue paper
-- 24 round-shaped candy or chocolates
-- string or ribbon cut into 9 or 10 inch lengths

Step 1:
Lay twelve of the chocolates across the middle lengthwise of the tissue paper.  I used a double thickness of tissue paper so it would withstand the rolling.

Step 2:
Fold in the sides of the tissue paper over the end chocolates.  Then fold the tissue paper roughly in half lengthwise over the chocolates

Step 3:
Roll the chocolates inside the tissue paper toward the open end.

Step 4:
Tie the middle and the ends of the roll.   You can feel the chocolates through the tissue paper which helps you find the middle of the roll.  You can also gently move the chocolates along if they are bunched up.

Step 5:
Tie string between each of the chocolates.

  
You can leave the rolls as they are or you can tie bows around the ends and hang them up. Since there are only twelve chocolates in a roll, each child gets two rolls.  I made them all different colours - purple, turquoise, red, and green.  

You can also check out my Advent Calendar Pinterest page or my advent calendars from previous years for inspiration:

Easy advent calendar

Advent calendar ball

Mailable advent calendar

Are you making an advent calendar this year?  I've seen so many cute ones around blogland this year.  I swear they are getting cuter every year.


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