We absolutely love counting down the days until Christmas, and over the years we have created lots of really unique DIY Advent calendars. Whether we start with compartments or start with the collection of items, each handmade Advent calendar is always such a delight.

52 DIY Advent calendars

We've gathered together some of our favorite DIY Advent calendar projects to share with you.

1: Shot-A-Day Advent Calendar for Bourbon Lovers

We love our bourbon here in Kentucky, so it was a no-brainer for us to create a bourbon Advent Calendar to count down the number of "shots til Christmas". You can fill this with 25 different mini liquor bottles or 25 of the same one, if you have very particular taste!

2: Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake Advent Calendar

Our tastiest creation is definitely our Little Debbie Christmas tree Advent calendar, which is easy to make and re-fill year after year. I can't express enough how much I love these snack cakes — I admit my husband and I usually eat them all way before Christmas day!

3: Lottery Ticket Advent Calendar

If you're feeling lucky this Christmas, why not create a lottery ticket Advent calendar? Each day will be full of anticipation and who knows... maybe even a windfall!

4: Snoopy's Doghouse Advent Calendar with Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown's Christmas story is a classic every year, and we encapsulated that in our Snoopy's doghouse Advent calendar, featuring the iconic lights, scrawny tree, and photo of the whole Peanuts gang singing.

5: Retro Santa Advent Calendar

Nostalgia is always in full force at Christmas, and our retro Santa Advent calendar reflects that vintage feel perfectly. The combination of classic Santa images from days gone by makes a lovely grown-up Advent calendar.

6: Golden Girls Advent Calendar

When it's time to thank someone for being a friend, our Golden Girls Advent calendar is the perfect DIY way to count down to Christmas with a fun 80s touch. The print-and-cut boxes have designs featuring everything from the classic floral couch to Sophia's purse.

7: Clothespin Advent Wreath for the Front Door

When we invented the clothespin wreath, we unleashed a world of creativity among you crafters! Our favorite Christmas version is an Advent clothespin wreath that features space to write a special message each day to share what Christmas means to you.

8: Storybook Grinch Advent Calendar

When we realized that over-the-door shoe organizers had 24 pockets, we knew they would make great Advent calendars. Our Grinch Advent calendar features the classic story broken up onto 24 cards, and the family can read one each day leading up to Christmas.

9: Advent Calendar for Crafters Full of Supplies

Crafters and DIYers can always use more storage, and our organizer Advent calendar perfectly suits that need. We started with a 24-drawer cabinet and filled each drawer with tiny tools and supplies that match the recipient's hobbies.

10: Upcycled Advent Calendar Tree

Show your kids the importance of reuse with our upcycled Advent calendar tree. You can make this with cardboard tubes, empty tape cores, or even rings cut from scraps of PVC pipe.

11: Reverse Advent Calendar

Our reverse Advent calendar honors the meaning behind the season, and lets a family give a gift each day instead of getting one. We put pantry items into an over-the-door shoe organizer (with 24 pockets!) and donate it to a food bank when it's full.

12: Hanging Village House Advent Calendar

This string of 25 kraft cardboard village houses from Good Housekeeping hangs from a branch or wooden dowel rod. With the addition of some fairy lights, they have a pleasant glow, and each house can hold a lightweight present.

13: Felt Christmas Stocking Advent Calendar

We love these simple felt stockings from A Beautiful Mess that make an adorable, reusable Advent calendar when hung on the wall.

14: Ombre Muslin Bag Advent Calendar

We adore the colorful dip-dyed muslin bags that The House that Lars Built arranged in ombre style to create their Advent calendar. These inexpensive muslin bags are easy to customize to match your Christmas color scheme.

15: Customizable Paper Tree Advent Calendar

The tiny paper notes in this customizable tree advent calendar from Sarah Hearts are perfectly precious and so easy to make and customize with her downloadable templates. Add a photo and text to each card to personalize it for your family.

16: Nativity Advent Calendar

You can turn a tiny kid's nativity set into a nativity advent calendar using the felt-pouch pattern from Lovely Indeed. If you don't have a tiny nativity, you can stuff the pockets with any trinkets you like.

17: Dog Bone Advent Calendar

Let the puppies have some holiday fun with this hanging doggie treat advent calendar from the folks at Good Housekeeping. Just be sure you hang it out of reach!

18: Pins and Stickers Advent Calendar

Teens in particular will love this fun flair Advent calendar from Studio DIY. Behind each number hides a small piece of flair, such as enamel pins, stickers, and patches.

19: Papier Mache Boxes Advent Calendars

The beauty of making a papier mache box into an Advent calendar is that you can customize the design to match the recipient. Kaleidoscope Living created two versions for her kids, decorated to go with each of their personalities, and tucked a little treat into each numbered drawer.

20: Takeout Box Advent Calendar

We can't imagine anything more whimsical than an Advent calendar made from takeout containers like this one from Studio DIY. She transformed the ubiquitous boxes into a fun, stacked advent calendar.

21: Metal House Wreath Advent Calendar

A bunch of tiny tiny metal houses wired to a wreath makes a chic decoration, but Arin Solange also turned it into an Advent calendar by tucking a paper inside each one with a family activity for the day.

22: Envelope Advent Calendar

What could be simpler than this envelope Advent calendar? The Merry Thought made it pretty by hanging them from festive garland. You can keep the gifts simple as well by tucking in slips of paper with fun activities, or make it more exciting with scratch-off lottery tickets in a few of them.

23: Book Advent Calendar

Kids who love to read will adore this Christmas-themed book-a-day Advent calendar from See Vanessa Craft. It works especially well if you have several kids around the same age / reading level, but we also love the book idea for adults who are avid readers.

24: Rustic Chalkboard Advent Calendar

We love the mixed media charm of this rustic chalkboard Advent calendar from Crafting My Home. She painted paper boxes to look like metal, then added them to a chalkboard with handwritten numbers. It's reusable and it looks great with her farmhouse decor.

25: Upcycled Glass Jar Advent Calendar

Start saving your empties so you can create this clever upcycled glass jar Advent calendar. The folks at Good Housekeeping painted them with chalk paint, added a decorative top, and got really clever with the numbering.

26: Colorful Houses Advent Calendar

Some decorative paper and stickers can turn ordinary cardboard boxes into this mini striped houses Advent calendar from Sugar & cloth. You can decorate them in any style or colors you like, and it would be a great project to have the kids help create.

27: Mini Boxes Advent Calendar

It's cuteness overload with these pom-pom topped mini boxes that make up this Advent calendar from Alice & Lois. We love the bright colors they used, but you could easily switch out to traditional red and green or metallic colors.

28: Felt Vintage Truck Advent Calendar

This adorable felt truck with presents from Studio DIY is an interactive Advent calendar for kids. Each day, her son takes a felt present out of the pocket and loads it onto the bed of the truck. By Christmas, the truck will be full of gifts and the picture complete.

29: Paper Retro Lights Advent Calendar

This string of retro Christmas lights made from paper from The House That Lars Built ticks all the boxes for us. The lights make us feel nostalgic, the bright colors are fun, and the way the boxes open to reveal treats inside is sheer perfection.

30: Stacked Boxes Advent Calendar

The geometric bow-tie shape makes this modern stacked boxes Advent calendar from Little House on the Corner super unique and super fun. The boxes are totally DIY with the template they provide, and we just love the ability to stack them in imaginative ways.

31: Cardboard Tube Advent Calendar

Upcycle your empty tubes from toilet paper or paper towels to create this cardbaord tube wreath Advent calendar from Super Make It. It's quick and easy craft the kids can help with, and after hanging it, you can fill each tube with a little present.

32: Felt Ornament Advent Calendar

A definite labor of love, this felt ornament Advent calendar tree from The Craft Patch is loaded with individual felt ornaments that are hung on the felt tree each day. It's soft, cute, and easy to use, making it perfect for younger kids.

33: Illy Coffee Tin Advent Calendar

If you're an Illy coffee fan who has been saving tins, this is your chance to use them. This stacked Illy tin Advent calendar from Look What I Made takes advantage of the chic tin design to create a tree-shaped stack. Just wrap the tins with paper, fill with goodies and you are good to go.

34: 3D Tiny Village Advent Calendar

For the ultimate combo of chic and rustic, try this mini village Advent calendar from Lia Griffith, made up of a bunch of tiny houses. She even provides the printable template for creating your own tiny village to help you count down to Christmas.

35: Origami Tree Forest Advent Calendar

You can create a complete Origami Christmas trees Advent forest with the tree template from Tell Love and Party. Fill them with countdown treats, or just use them as decorations on your mantle.

36: Box Collage Advent Calendar

A collection of assorted mini boxes became a fun box collage Advent calendar when Mod Podge Rocks glued them to a large canvas. Painted in festive colors with plenty of decorative touches, it's a piece of Christmas art that also happens to hold presents of many different sizes.

37: Punch Box Advent Calendar

Some carefully cut holes and cleverly placed bowls makes this punch box Advent calendar from Studio DIY a pure delight. It reminds us of our favorite game on The Price is Right and we can't wait to make one of these ourselves.

38: Egg Carton Advent Calendar

A 30-egg carton makes the perfect backer for this egg carton Advent calendar from The Deliberate Mom, allowing her to make her daughter an allergy-friendly alternative to the traditional chocolate-filled Advent calendar.

39: Wintry White Muslin Bag Advent Calendar

Some simple white muslin bags were the basis for this all-white Advent calendar from Taryn Whiteaker, giving it a modern, wintry look. The numbers came from a quick iron-on transfer, making assembly super fast, and could easily be changed to another style or color to suit your decor.

40: Santa's Chimney Advent Calendar

This Santa's chimney wooden Advent calendar by Kirsten Dunn is unlike anything we've ever seen. You pull out a dowel each day until Santa makes it down the chimney. Check out her detailed, step-by-step instructions for creating the chimney and painting the Santa.

41: Rudolph's Friends Toy Animal Advent Calendar

Rudolph's friends come out to play in this toy animal Advent calendar from A Bubbly Life, which features a huge collection of painted plastic toy animals — all with bright red noses! We love the color palette and cleverness of this charming set.

42: Bottle Brush Advent Calendar

Sometimes simple decor can help you count down to Christmas, just like this bottle brush tree Advent calendar from We Are Scout. Each tree has a simple handwritten tag with an activity on the back, and they look positively charming as a collection.

43: Mug Rack Advent Calendar

We love repurposing things, and this mug rack Advent calendar from Honestly WTF is a perfect example. Simple numbered bags and a few pieces of Christmas decor work perfectly hung on a basic wall-mounted mug rack.

44: Snowman Face Advent Calendar

How adorable is this interactive snowman Advent calendar from Mod Podge Rocks? You spin his little carrot nose to count down the days until Santa arrives. So clever and the kids will love the interactive play.

45: Dry Erase Advent Calendar

For a fun countdown calendar that also serves as decor why not try this vintage window pane turned dry-erase calendar from Lolly Jane? You erase a number each day so the kids always know how much longer til Christmas, and it looks great in your decor all month.

46: Paper Tree Boxes Advent calendar

Simple boxes turned bold and graphic with this paper tree gift boxes Advent calendar from A Subtle Revelry. This is a great way to use up those scraps of paper and ribbon for a mix of styles or do them all the same for a more modern look.

47: Chalkboard Boxes Advent Calendar

A can of chalkboard spray paint is the key to this cute chalkboard box Advent calendar from Oh Happy Day. With the chalkboard vibe, it would be great in a classroom, where teachers could use it to count down until the first day of winter break.

48: Printable Santa Boxes Advent Calendar

We can't get over the Santa favor box Advent calendar from Hello, Wonderful, created from a free printable pattern that's held together with decorative washi tape. So easy!

49: Mini Matchboxes Advent Calendar

For the ultimate in tiny things, try this matchbox Advent calendar from Country Living. It takes up almost no space, and is perfect for super tiny gifts like coins, candy, or jewelry. (Unique Christmas proposal, anyone?)

50: Wooden Rustic Advent Calendar

For rustic charm that might just clear out the wood scrap pile, try this rustic Advent calendar from Hearth & Vine, made with barn wood slats and wooden rounds.

51: Felt Pocket Banner Advent Calendar

Felt is so easy to work with and can have a stunning effect when done well, as is the case with this felt pocket banner Advent calendar from The Crafted Sparrow. It looks great draped across a mantle or even on the tree.

52: Toilet Paper Roll Advent Calendar

A simple yet effective upcycling idea is this toilet paper tube house Advent calendar from Morning Creativity. And using actual toilet paper as the smoke in the chimney is the cherry on top!

53: Paper Bag Gingerbread House Advent Calendar

Let your creative side show by hand decorating paper bags to create this paper lunch bag gingerbread house Advent calendar idea from J. Sorelle. The bags are inexpensive and can hold larger gifts, and this would be a great project to do with the kids.