39+ Thoughtful Advent Calendar Ideas To Delight Your Loved Ones

Need inspiration for thoughtful advent calendar ideas?

Isn’t it crazy that Christmas is already around the corner? Seriously, where did the year go?
It’s already time to prepare your advent calendar and think about your Christmas presents.
So if you need thoughtful advent calendar ideas for your loved ones, I got you covered.

I’ll share plenty of fantastic ideas with you…

Just know that most of these thoughtful advent calendar ideas are designed for teens and adults.

And if you need inspiration for your significant other, that’s great, too.
I prepared a whole section with romantic couples’ advent calendar ideas for you.

For many of us, the end of the year can be pretty stressful.

Why? It’s simply because we have so much to do and to organize.
And there’s so little time.

Especially if you can’t stop procrastinating and usually buy your presents at the last minute…

But that’s enough talk about procrastination.
You’re here… so you’re ready to get inspired.

Now, before we dive into the advent calendar ideas, let’s first take a look at some quick facts.

And make sure that you stay until the end. There’s a bonus section waiting for you with beautiful quotes you can add to your advent calendar…

Now, what is an Advent Calendar?

Advent calendars are special calendars with 24 numbered “doors”. These count down the days until Christmas. You’ll find a daily gift behind each door.

For example, a traditional calendar hides chocolate. My advent calendar is filled with inspirational quotes.

On December 1st, you open door number 1 of your advent calendar quotes. The next day, you open door #2 -and so forth until door #24 on the 24th of December.

Since the doors are in no particular order, half the fun is looking for the right number.

Advent calendars can be made of cardboard, fabric, or small wooden boxes. It doesn’t really matter as long as they can hide the little daily gift.

You can create a digital Advent Calendar for your website, Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest. But a real one with physical gifts is also wonderful.

Where do Advent Calendars come from?

Advent Calendars seem to be of German origin (like me) and date back to the 19th century (not like me). Originally, religious families made simple chalk marks to count down the days until Christmas Eve.

Then, at the beginning of the 20th century, paper Christmas Calendars with little images appeared. And at the end of the 1950s, chocolate was introduced.

As you can see, advent calendars have evolved so much.
From a Christian tradition… to a kid’s treat… all the way to inspirational advent calendars with quotes.

So, who are Advent Calendars for?

Advent calendars are for everyone…

Parents sometimes prepare DIY advent calendars with little gifts for their kids.

In Kindergarten or primary school, teachers often make a DIY Advent Calendar for their class. And so, every day a different child gets a little surprise.

You can even prepare an advent calendar for you and your coworkers.
But what could you fill it with? Don’t worry, I got you.

Let’s jump right into a ton of thoughtful advent calendar ideas…

Thoughtful Advent Calendar ideas

Now you may be wondering how you can find ideas for your advent calendar…
24 gifts can seem like a lot.

The easiest solution is to buy a traditional chocolate Christmas calendar. Even famous brands make them now.

But if you’re ready to take it up a notch, you can make your own DIY Advent Calendar with the following ideas:

Get mini beauty products ★ Craft something yourself ★ Write thoughtful coupons… or make an Advent Calendar with motivational quotes like mine!

Keep reading to get a practical list of fantastic and thoughtful advent calendar ideas.

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Advent Calendar for grown ups

Yes, if we’re totally honest, Christmas Calendars are usually for kids. But they are still fun when you’re in your thirties (or older).

You can never be too old for an Advent Calendar…

Last year, I had a fun Beer Christmas Calendar that came with small bottles in different flavors. I’m a German gal, so I loved it, although ladies might prefer a wine calendar.

You can even buy Advent Calendars with shots – if that’s what you need to get through the Christmas preparations.

But you don’t have to buy a calendar with alcohol…

More thoughtful Advent Calendar ideas for grown ups

Advent calendars with food

If you love tea, maybe you’d like a DIY Advent Calendar with different teas.
Or a variety of coffee capsules.

You could also make a healthy calendar with daily smoothie recipes. Or protein balls. This would add a nice touch to someone’s morning routine.

Another great idea is to prepare portioned packets of granola or mini jars of jam. I’m sure you can find many thoughtful advent calendar ideas.

And here is a fantastic tip for people who love to garden. You could make them an advent calendar with seeds for flowers, herbs, or vegetables.

Self-Care Advent Calendars

Now, how would you like some self-care advent calendar ideas?
Think of fun bath bombs, fragrant bath balls, or relaxing incense cones and sticks.
How about a wonderful advent calendar with scented tealights?

You need ideas for people who love to read?
You could prepare an inspirational advent calendar with 24 wonderful short stories they will love!

And for self-improvement fans, you could get something like this printable daily goal planner. Or this list of Ninja journaling prompts.

Couples Advent Calendar

A thoughtful DIY couple’s Advent Calendar is all about spending time with your significant other.

Just think of romantic or fun activities that you’d love to do together each day.

So, to get you started, I’ll share 25 wonderful ideas that are easily doable…

It’s all about the small things.
Daily couples’ activities don’t have to be time-consuming, complicated, or expensive.

25 Thoughtful Advent Calendar Ideas for Couples

So here’s what you do…

You write each activity on a piece of paper that you then put in your advent calendar.

And to make it even more fun, prepare all the pieces of paper and then shuffle them.
This way, even you will be surprised every day, too.

Dance to your favorite song
Go ice skating
Cook a romantic meal together
Movie night
Go out for dinner (or get take out)
Get or give a massage
Make DIY scented candles
Do a Christmas wine-tasting (or whatever you like)
Go somewhere beautiful
Bake cookies together
Make your favorite cocktail
Take cute pictures
Create a theme night*
Unplug and spend time together with no phones
Cuddle by the fire
Prepare a romantic breakfast / brunch
Sign up for a new activity/class
Play a game (board game, video game etc.)
Recreate your first date
Go for a walk together
Watch the sunset together (wrapped in a cozy blanket)
Make a bucket list of things you’d like to do together
Enjoy an epic pillow fight
Take a look at old pictures or videos of you
Massage each other’s hands

*Organize your evening around a specific theme. For a Spanish night, you could get your favorite Spanish food & drinks and watch a Spanish movie

Handy Ninja Checklist for your Ideas

Alright. Now you have plenty of ideas to make a thoughtful or inspirational advent calendar.
And you probably came up with a few ideas yourself, too.

So now it’s time for your bonus section of beautiful quotes.

And if you need inspiration for Happy New Year Wishes for Friends and Family, check out this post!

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Bonus section with beautiful quotes

“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold”

“The color of springtime is flowers; the color of winter is in our imagination” – Terri Guillemets

“Welcome, winter. Your late dawns and chilled breath makes me lazy, but I love you nonetheless” – Terri Guillemets

“It seems like everything sleeps in winter, but it’s really a time of renewal and reflection” – Elizabeth Camden

“If winter helps you curl up and more that makes it one of the best seasons” – Murray Pura

“In the winter she curls up around a good book and dreams away the cold” – Ben Aaronovitch

“December has the clarity, the simplicity, and the silence you need for the best fresh start of your life” – Vivian White

What's next?

I hope you enjoyed my advent calendar ideas and that the inspirational quotes motivate you.

Would you like to make this list of advent calendar ideas even better?
Which fantastic or quick gift idea is missing?

Let me know in the comments!

All this talk about the holidays already makes me think about next year…

★★ If you are READY to set New Year’s resolutions you’ll actually stick to, watch this FREE Ninja Class next! You will learn how to pick the right goals for you and how to stay motivated.

In just 30 minutes, learn how you…
☆ Clarify your priorities ☆ Set the right goals ☆ Make tracking fun ☆ Stay motivated

Enjoy your holidays,

Ninja

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