Advent Activity Calendar

Who this is for

Twenty-four days, planned. Choose an activity, treat or outing for each day from 1 to 24 December, note who is involved and what needs preparing, and tick it off when it is done.

Families filling an activity advent calendar or countdown jar, and anyone who wants the run-up to Christmas planned so the busy days get the easy activities.

What this helps you track

• One activity, treat or outing for every day of advent
• Who is involved on each day
• What has to be bought, booked or made ready beforehand
• Any cost, so the outings can be spread across the month
• The supplies to get in before 1 December

How to use it

1. Write the year, the family name and who is taking part at the top.
2. Look at the family calendar first and mark school events, work days and visits, then give the busiest days the simplest activities.
3. Fill in an activity for each day, who it involves, anything to prepare and a cost if there is one.
4. Tick off the supplies list before 1 December so nothing has to be bought on the day.
5. Tick each day done, or fill the browser version, which saves in your own browser, and keep the sheet for ideas next year.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Does it have to be 24 activities?

No. Some days can simply be a treat or a note in the calendar pocket. The grid gives one line per day so nothing is left blank by accident, but a quiet day is still a plan.

How do I keep the cost down?

Fill the cost column as you plan, then look at which days carry the outings. Mixing free activities, such as a winter walk or a film night at home, with a few paid ones spreads the spending across the month.

What goes in what to prepare?

Anything that has to happen before the day: tickets to book, ingredients to buy, craft materials to find or a note to write for the calendar pocket. It is the column that stops a planned day turning into a scramble.

Can I use it for a countdown that is not advent?

Yes. Cross out the dates and write your own, or use the browser version and change the day labels. It works for any countdown of up to 24 days.