Prepare for a More Sustainable Holiday with Advent Calendars and More!
Remember waiting for the holidays to come? The anticipation? The magic?
One of the ways that my two sisters and I prepared for the Christmas holiday was by opening advent calendars. (Advent means to prepare). Over the years we had memorized the pictures behind our two paper calendars, but the third one was our favorite.
My mother made this third marvelous advent calendar of red felt with a big green tree and 24 pockets on the bottom. Starting on the morning of December 1st, we would pull a tiny ornament out of a pocket, and that night our mother would sew it onto the tree. However, we never saw her do this, so the tree seemed to get decorated by magic.
Advent then and now
Advent calendars have been around since the nineteenth century when Lutherans marked the days before Christmas by burning a candle or making a chalk mark on their door. As the practice became more common and resources more available, calendars were made of wood, and then paper.
Now an increased variety of advent calendars exist. You can buy them with almost anything hidden behind their doors, from chocolate to tea to cosmetics — or save paper by getting an online calendar. JacquieLawson.com has a nice one. You can even personalize advent calendars by making your own. Here is a pattern for a simple felt advent calendar from makelifelovely.com.
Change it up!
My sister repurposed the advent calendar my mother made by replacing the ornaments with tiny copies of the book covers for books they owned. Then she would then read to her sons whatever book they pulled out each day for the 24 days leading up to the holiday. Magical!
You can even use advent calendars to prepare for the New Year! If you start on December 8th (the first day of Hanukkah this year) you can countdown to 2024.
Check out these advent calendars and holiday gifts that you can give for a sustainable holiday start — or make a countdown calendar yourself.
Before we dive into our favorite sustainable swaps, please note that this blog contains affiliate links. By using these links, you can support the improvement of Softly at no extra cost to you.
Seeds Advent Calendar
by Wivolibe
Reveal a new seed each day — every day of December you will receive a packet of flower, vegetable, or herb seeds to ensure your garden is the most beautiful and productive in the following year.
It contains 24 varieties of seeds each packed in a picturesque bag. Selected, popular seeds become a lovely plant starter kit for your home. Wonderful as gardening gifts — an advent calendar to prepare for the New Year!
24 Stitched Projects to Celebrate Any Date
on Kindle
Make delightful calendars for Advent — or Hanukkah, birthdays, vacations, new babies, and other happy events! Great for both kids and adults, this collection of custom-crafted countdown calendars is packed with creative ways to say 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . hooray!
Hannukah Gift Set
by Vahdam
Give a gift of wellness and nutrition to your loved ones this Hanukkah. This luxurious Hanukkah gift set includes Vanilla Spiced Masala Chai, Turmeric Spiced Herbal Tea, Chocolate Vanilla Herbal Tea & Hibiscus Rush Black Tea.
Vegan Advent Calendar
by Nomo
Vegan and also gluten, nut, egg, and dairy free — this advent calendar is certified to contain ingredients that utilize farming methods that are more sustainable to help improve farmer livelihoods and mitigate climate change.
Organic Herbal Tea Advent Calendar
by Pukka
Discover 24 moments of wellness during the festive countdown with the magic of delicious herbal tea.
Thoughtfully crafted with no compromise to the planet, this advent calendar contains 24 unique blends that support your body and mind. With this alternative to chocolate advent calendars for herbal tea lovers, you can discover the perfect assortment of citrusy, floral, sweet, and spicy flavors.
Let Softly help you find products and gifts that align with your values! We base our recommendations on 3rd party verification through sustainability certifications, not unverified label claims.
