Looking for an alternative advent calendar for 2023? If chocolate’s not your thing and you already have all the beauty products you need, a very different – and extremely creative – option is a crafting advent calendar.
You can countdown to Christmas with a new mini DIY craft project a day, whether it’s sewing, making your own Xmas decorations or bead pictures. Hours of fun to be had for both kids and adults alike, and you’re left with a nice memento that you’ve created yourself. So satisfying!
Many of the calendars are limited edition and sell out every year, so if you see one you like, don't wait - or you might miss out. Once they're gone, they're gone!
Top 5 best craft advent calendars at a glance
- Felt sewing advent calendar: Craftvent Advent Calendar 2023
- Stationery advent calendar: Papier Advent Calendar 2023
- Sewing supplies advent calendar: Hemline sewing and craft advent calendar 2023
- Cross stitch and sewing advent calendar: Christmas Countdown Stitchy Box 2023
- Crafting advent calendar to do with the kids: Ravensburger Craft Advent Calendar
How we chose the best craft advent calendars
- Reviews: Where we were unable to test the calendars ourselves, we scoured the web for options that scored highly on reviews from verified shoppers which rated them highly for value for money and having good quality contents.
- Price: We included calendars with a competitive price point. As a niche item, craft advents often cost more than your average advent, but there are plenty of budget options available too. There’s something in this roundup to suit every budget.
- Variety: Crafting includes many different forms and techniques, from cross stitch to Hama beads. We tried to include something for everyone.
- Ease of use: Unless specified, the calendars in our guide are equally suitable for beginners and master crafters alike.
Craftvent Advent Calendar 2023
- Craft: Felt sewing
- Contents: 24 Kits to make Christmas decorations
- Number of doors: 24
A sell-out every year, the Craftvent advent calendar features 24 individually packed felt kits - each one containing the bits to make a cute Christmas decoration. Most totally festive, but a few are cute and kitsch including food, drinks, and adorable animals. If you want one, don't hang about. It's limited edition and once they're gone, that's it till next year. Totally suitable for beginners!
Hemline Sewing & Craft Advent Calendar 2023
- Craft: Sewing
- Contents: Sewing supplies
- Number of doors: 24
From the cutest pincushions to thimbles and needle threaders, this Christmas countdown has everything you need to get prepared for next year's sewing tasks.
Papier advent calendar 2023
- Craft: Stationery, writing
- Contents: Stationery supplies
- Number of doors: 24
Although it's not strictly for crafting, this gorgeous advent calendar deserves an honourable mention, as it's a paper-lover's dream. It features 24 Papier products, beautifully packaged and designed to elevate everyday tasks and inspire creative pursuits. Expect evrything from elegant notecards and high-quality pens to organisation stickers, post-it notes, journals, bookmarks, notebooks and an array of other useful stationery items. It's worth £160 but yours for £120.
Christmas Countdown Stitchy Box 2023
- Craft: Cross stitch and Sewing
- Contents: Cross stitch and sewing supplies and projects
- Number of doors: 24
Now in its fourth year, the Christmas Countdown Stitchy Box is one of the most popular crafting advent calendars on Etsy. Past Christmas Countdown Stitchy Boxes have included hand-dyed fabric, threads, cross stitch accessories, cross stitch kits and patterns, and we expect the same this year. The seller isn't giving away any spoilers though, so we'll just have to wait and see!
Aquabeads Advent Calendar
- Craft: Aquabeading
- Contents: Aquabeads and supplies to make 15 Christmas tree decorations
- Number of doors: 24
Aquabeads are craft beads that magically join together when sprayed with water. You get the full kit to make 15 decorations with this advent calendar – and it’s suitable for crafty adults and kids aged four and above too.
Hama Beads Advent Calendar
- Craft: Hama Beading
- Contents: Hama beads and supplies to make 24 Christmas tree decorations
- Number of doors: 24
Hama beads use a similar technique to Aquabeads, but instead of water, you need to iron over the top of these ones to make them stick together. This is one of the lower-priced crafting advent calendars, and for your money, you get 24 seasonal designs you can hang on your Christmas tree when they’re done.
Ravensburger Christmas Crafts Advent Calendar
- Craft: Paper crafts & puzzles
- Contents: Supplies to make 24 Christmas crafts for kids
- Number of doors: 24
This crafty advent calendar contains 24 surprise activities to do with the kids, including puzzles, stencils and build kits so you can create your own Christmas magic at home
BIC Advent Calendar
- Craft: Writing, calligraphy, illustration and colouring
- Contents: Writing and colouring supplies
- Number of doors: 24
It’s not strictly a project a day, but this BIC stationary advent calendar is a must for dedicated crafters. There are 24 surprises, including pencils, pens, stickers, erasers and more – it lends itself perfectly to making your own Christmas cards!
DIY advent calendar kit
- Craft: Make your own DIY advent calendar
- Contents: Printed gift bags, clips and number stickers
- Number of doors: 24
This DIY set contains everything you need to create your individual advent calendar. Create your very personal Christmas calendar from 24 brown printed kraft paper bags and decorate them with golden number stickers. The only thing you need to do is fill it. The bag size is 14 x 22 cm, so it's ideal is ideal for containing sweets, vouchers or small gifts.
