There is something particularly magical about the countdown to Christmas.
Yes, the big day matters, but some of the best bits happen before it: the first Christmas film, the slightly wonky homemade decorations, the excitement of finding out what is behind door number 17, and the annual debate over whether eating an Advent chocolate before breakfast is technically acceptable.
For the record, we’re firmly in the it’s Christmas, the normal rules are suspended camp.
Our Christmas Countdown Collection turns your Travelling Christmas Tree into a reusable Advent calendar, with 24 numbered felt pockets ready to fill with little treats, surprises and festive messages.
The lovely thing is that you get to decide what goes inside.
You can keep it wonderfully simple with chocolate every day, mix in a few tiny gifts, add handwritten notes or create your own family traditions. You can even change it completely from one year to the next.
So, if you’re wondering what to put in Advent calendar pockets, here are plenty of ideas to get December off to a suitably festive start.
24 Ideas for Your Advent Calendar Pockets
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Chocolate, obviously
We couldn’t possibly start anywhere else.
Individually wrapped chocolates are ideal for Advent pockets. A Quality Street is practically Christmas heritage at this point, and you can have the added entertainment of watching family members negotiate over who gets the Green Triangle.
We’ve also discovered that the M&S Swiss Extra Fine Milk Chocolate Discs fit rather beautifully into the pockets. Frankly, it feels as though Marks & Spencer may have been designing them with us in mind.
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A handwritten Christmas message
It doesn’t have to be profound.
Try something like:
“Only 17 sleeps to go!”
“You make Christmas more magical.”
“Tonight: hot chocolate and a Christmas film.”
A tiny handwritten note can sometimes be much more memorable than another gift.
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A terrible Christmas joke
Advent should contain at least a small amount of nonsense.
You could write a joke on a folded piece of paper each morning. A few suitably groan-worthy examples:
What do snowmen eat for breakfast? Frosties.
What do elves learn at school? The elf-abet.
Why was the Christmas tree bad at knitting? It kept dropping its needles.
What do you call an elf wearing earmuffs? Anything you like — he can’t hear you.
We make absolutely no apology for the quality of these jokes.
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A LEGO minifigure
A little LEGO figure or accessory makes a brilliant occasional surprise, particularly if you spread the pieces of a small set across several days.
Just make sure anything you include is age appropriate, especially around younger children.
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Christmas activity prompts
Instead of putting an object in every pocket, add an experience.
Try:
Decorate Christmas biscuits tonight.
Choose the Christmas film.
Go and look at the neighbourhood Christmas lights.
Make hot chocolate with far too many marshmallows.
Suddenly your Advent calendar becomes part of your December plans too.
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Stickers
Christmas stickers, favourite characters, animals, stars, dinosaurs — whatever your recipient is currently obsessed with.
They’re inexpensive, tiny and very pocket-friendly.
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Hair clips and bobbles
Festive hair accessories work beautifully for children and teenagers. Think little stars, velvet bows, sparkly clips or Christmas colours.
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Temporary tattoos
Tiny, inexpensive and enormously exciting if you happen to be seven.
Christmas trees, snowflakes, reindeer and stars all work well.
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A treasure hunt clue
The pocket doesn’t necessarily need to contain the present.
Put a clue inside instead:
“Look somewhere cold where the milk likes to live…”
Then hide a slightly larger surprise in the fridge.
This is particularly useful when the gift you want to give has absolutely no chance of fitting inside a felt pocket.
- Coins
A £1 or £2 coin every now and then can be surprisingly exciting, particularly for children saving towards something.
You could even make 24 December the “big money” day.
We’ll leave your definition of big money entirely up to you.
- A Christmas kindness challenge
Add little prompts encouraging something thoughtful:
Give someone a compliment today.
Help with a job without being asked.
Choose one toy or book you’ve outgrown to donate.
Send somebody a Christmas message.
It’s a lovely way to introduce a little generosity into the Christmas countdown without making it feel like homework.
- Mini stationery
Tiny pencils, erasers, pencil toppers, badges and little notepads all work brilliantly.
Children seem to have an unexplained ability to become wildly excited about a novelty rubber shaped like a Christmas pudding.
- Puzzle pieces
Divide a small puzzle between several pockets and gradually build it throughout December.
The final pieces could arrive on Christmas Eve.
- A festive recipe
Fold up a favourite family recipe or write down something simple you can make together.
Gingerbread, mince pies, Christmas cookies or even your family’s sacred hot chocolate formula.
- Little craft supplies
Pom-poms, ribbon, wooden decorations, beads or little craft shapes can gradually build towards a Christmas activity.
Again, always consider the age of the person opening the pocket where small pieces are involved.
- A Christmas memory
This one is particularly lovely for older children, partners or grandparents.
Write down a favourite Christmas memory:
“Remember the year Dad forgot to defrost the turkey?”
“Remember when the dog stole the mince pies?”
“My favourite Christmas memory with you is…”
It turns the Advent calendar into something wonderfully personal.
- A photo
Print tiny photographs of family, pets or memorable moments from the year.
By Christmas Eve, you could have created a miniature highlights reel of the previous twelve months.
- A Christmas decoration
A small hanging decoration could appear in one of the pockets and then be added to another tree, garland or festive display.
Over time, you could build up a little collection that comes out every Christmas.
- A voucher from you
Not every voucher needs to cost money.
Try:
One extra bedtime story.
You choose dinner tonight.
One Christmas film of your choice.
Breakfast for dinner.
Stay up 30 minutes later tonight.
These can be worth considerably more than chocolate when you’re eight.
- A favourite sweet
Mix up the chocolates with wrapped sweets, mini candy canes or another favourite treat.
Having different things appear throughout December keeps the surprise element going.
- A riddle or festive quiz question
Perfect for older children and adults.
You could even make each answer reveal a letter and spell out a Christmas message by 24 December.
- Tiny beauty treats
For teenagers or adults, think lip balm, sample-sized beauty products, nail stickers or little skincare treats.
Suddenly the family Advent calendar becomes considerably more grown-up.
- Something for the dog
Why should humans have all the fun?
If your household includes a four-legged Christmas enthusiast, a wrapped or appropriately stored dog treat on selected days can bring another member of the family into the countdown.
Just make very sure nobody mistakes it for their own chocolate.
- Something special for Christmas Eve
Make pocket number 24 the finale.
It could contain a Christmas Eve message, a clue leading to Christmas pyjamas, a little bell for Santa, a favourite chocolate or simply:
“One more sleep. Merry Christmas.”
Make the Countdown Your Own
The best thing about creating your own reusable Advent calendar is that it doesn’t have to look like anybody else’s.
One family might fill every pocket with chocolate.
Another might avoid gifts altogether and use 24 Christmas activities.
You could create an Advent calendar for your children, your partner, your grandchildren or even yourself. And there is absolutely nothing stopping you from changing the idea every year.
With the Christmas Countdown Collection, the 24 numbered pockets attach to your Travelling Christmas Tree, transforming the tree itself into part of the excitement of December.
Then, when Christmas is finished, simply empty the pockets, pack them away and bring them back out next year.
No disposable calendar. No buying another one every December.
Just a Christmas tradition you can keep making your own.
SHOP THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN COLLECTION
Or, if you’re starting from scratch, discover The Travelling Christmas Tree and create a Christmas display that’s big on festive magic and wonderfully small on faff.
SHOP THE TRAVELLING CHRISTMAS TREE
Please choose pocket contents appropriate to the age of the recipient. Small gifts, sweets and other items may present a choking hazard to young children, so adult supervision is always recommended.