This year, our Advent Calendar gets a new twist: An Elf on the Shelf!
That's right. We finally got one. (Thanks to working in the toy industry.) So "Cupcake" will be helping me set up some magical mischief and deliver the tiny goodies that would otherwise go into each pocket of our Advent Calendar this year.
What am I giving as Advent gifts? I always go with small things - be it candy, holiday socks, or small toys. And there are a few things that make the cut every year and on specific days, such as new Christmas PJs on Christmas Eve. (I wonder if they make matching pjs for your Elf..????)
So without further ado, here is the list of what I'm giving this year:
December 1 - The Little Mermaid Friday Mood T-shirt
I couldn't be more excited about this one. It's been on my daughter's wish list since we saw it at Walmart back in September! Of course, they didn't have it in her size, so I secretly stalked the Walmart website to see if they'd get any more in stock. AND THEY DID. So at $5, this was a perfect addition to the Advent calendar and a great way to kick off the Christmas season, which starts on a Friday.
December 2 - bath bomb
My daughter loves bath bombs, especially the ones with a small toy inside. I usually get her Da Bomb bath bombs from Target. They smell so good and always have a little charm or something inside. We recently discovered Sweet Bath Co. I purchased a sugar skull bath bomb for Halloween, and the colors that fizzed out were so cool!
December 3 - unicorn loofah
I don't really like loofahs because I think they too easily get dirty and moldy, but this one had a unicorn on it. I got it at Ulta a few months ago, and they still have it, along with some other more holiday-specific characters. For a unicorn-obsessed kid, this loofah will be a big hit.
December 4 - Mr. Beast Feastables chocolates
Candy is always an easy one for Advent calendars, and there's no shortage of chocolates and candy around the holidays. I went with Mr. Beast Feastables (one milk chocolate and one milk chocolate crunch) because I know my daughter likes them - almost as much as she likes watching Mr. Beast videos on YouTube.
December 5 - Pez candy
Another easy Advent calendar filler! I love the holiday-themed Pez dispensers.
December 6 - Cubles Statue of Liberty
I had the privilege of reviewing Cubles last year, and I thought these paperboard craft kits were really cool. They come in a variety of themes, including favorite book and movie characters. But I got my daughter a Statue of Liberty because that's what she likes!
December 7 - Kinder chocolate
I think the Kinder eggs are disgusting, and honestly, my kiddo isn't fond of the candy portion of them. Of course, she loves the cheapo toy inside. She saw the Kinder chocolate bars at the grocery store, and I didn't buy her one at the time, but I did go back and buy one for her Advent calendar. I'll keep you posted on whether or not she likes it.
December 8 - Christmas socks
You don't know how hard it was for me to find children's holiday socks last year. I didn't want "cozy socks". I wanted just regular socks that you could wear with shoes. I finally found a family pack at Five Below, but this year, I ordered a set of three socks in my daughter's size from The Children's Place. (And I scored a MEGA deal with an online coupon code.)
December 9 - Ornament Craft Kit
Michael's always has great holiday craft kits at reasonable prices, so I scooped up a Christmas tree ornament kit that comes with supplies for making two ornaments. One we are going to keep, and the other one we're going to bring to Christmas caroling at a nursing home so that they can hang it and enjoy it.
December 10 - Elf on the Shelf scavenger hunt
I was given this scavenger hunt pack through someone at work. It comes with a variety of little boxes, some of which have candy in them, but I think you can add your own stuff, too. This will be a fun way to incorporate Cupcake into our Advent Calendar festivities. You don't need the specific pack to do this. You could just set up a fun scavenger hunt throughout your house and use whatever candy you have. (Maybe a good way to recycle Halloween candy?)
December 11 - Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty Stocking Stuffer
My daughter loves slime and putty, so when I saw this mini tin of Thinking Putty called Stocking Stuffer, I knew it would be the perfect item for our Advent Calendar. You can go the holiday route with this kind of thing, or just purchase a small tin or tub of slime, putty, or dough.
December 12 - surprise unboxing toy
My kid also loves unboxing things, and our Dollar Tree has these tiny surprise balls located at the checkout registers. At $1.25, it's the perfect Advent Calendar treat. And it's a fun unboxing surprise!
December 13 - Christmas book
Every year I buy my daughter a new holiday book. We have quite the collection of Christmas books. (More on that in a future post.) She's still young, so I'm still buying picture books. This year I purchased The Real Santa by Nancy Redd.
December 14 - candy fan
I'm sure you've seen these - light-up fans that store candy inside of them? I happened to get one through work, so I'm going to incorporate the Elf on the Shelf in a scene with this fan. I took out the gross candy that came inside of the fan (it might have expired) and stuffed a mini bag of M&Ms from the Halloween candy.
December 15 - Christmas ornament
For some, this might be something you give on Christmas Day. But I like the idea of giving my kiddo a new Christmas ornament and hanging it up on the tree to enjoy during the holiday season. I always try to pick an ornament that has something to do with where we went or what she did that year.
December 16 - hot chocolate and mug
Last year I gave my daughter a Jack Skellington Christmas mug. I probably won't give her another mug this year (only because we barely have room in our kitchen cabinets for all the mugs we do have), so instead, I'm giving her a hot chocolate kit. It comes with a package of hot cocoa, two snowman face marshmallows, and other hot cocoa fixings. This is a really easy idea that you could customize however you want.
December 17 - donation day
The Elf on the Shelf will help me with this one. Sometimes I put "activities" in the Advent calendar, such as making cookies or going somewhere ... or donating old toys. At the month's halfway point, I think it's a good idea to get kids thinking about getting rid of old toys they no longer play with so that other kids can play with them. It also helps clear space for all those new toys.
December 18 - snowman rubber duck
My kiddo loves rubber ducks, and when I saw cute festive ducks in the Target Dollar Spot, I just couldn't resist. You can find a lot of cute stuff in the Dollar Spot. This year I've already seen holiday picture books, squishy toys, and stuffed animals.
December 19 - holiday-themed activity/coloring book
You can find stuff like this in the Target Dollar Spot or Dollar Tree. This type of treat would be especially perfect if your family is going to be traveling over the holidays. You can use it to keep your kid busy in the car or on the plane.
December 20 - candy cane filled with Hershey's Kisses
You've seen these before! They are an inexpensive holiday-themed candy item. I've found them at Dollar Tree before. If your kid likes M&Ms better, they also make the candy canes filled with M&Ms. I've also seen Reese's Pieces candy canes.
December 21 - cookie cutters for cookie-decorating
We decorate Christmas cookies every year, and though we do have quite the stash of cookie cutters, it's always fun to add a new shape to our collection. You might have to search online if you're looking for a specific shape. But for the basic shapes (snowflakes, angels, snowmen), you can easily find those at Target, Walmart, or any store of your choice. Even better for this one? Take your kid to the store so she can pick out the decorative toppings she wants.
December 22 - ingredients to decorate a Gingerbread house
Maybe one of your family traditions is to decorate a gingerbread house! You can make your own gingerbread, buy a pre-made kit, or use Pop Tarts (which is what we did last year) or graham crackers. Put a little note in the Advent Calendar letting your kid know that today is decoration day, and then go shopping together for the ingredients. Or use your elf to hold the kit or Pop Tarts box with the note.
December 23 - festive headband craft
This kit was another cute one that I found at Michael's. We have a tradition, started by my mom way back when, that we always take a silly holiday hat picture. Usually, this picture is taken on Christmas Eve Eve (I don't know why), so this year, I'll have my daughter create a snowy headband to wear, and then we'll take her picture in front of the tree while she wears it.
December 24 - Christmas pajamas
This has been our tradition for several years now. In the beginning, we got matching family pajamas that we wore the night before Christmas, but those are so expensive, so I only buy new pjs for my kiddo. And with how much she's growing, she always needs new pajamas! Then she wears them to open presents on Christmas morning! And yes, those pajamas are still fair game to be worn all winter long.
I hope that these Advent Calendar gift ideas were helpful as you start to prepare what goes into your own child's Advent Calendar! What are you putting into your child's Advent Calendar this year? Share more ideas in the comments!
And if you have ideas for Elf on the Shelf, share those, too!
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