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Years ago, I saw someone post on social media about “a picture book Advent calendar.” I thought the idea was so enchanting that I made it a part of our family’s holiday preparations ever since.
The concept is simple. Wrap up your favorite Christmas-themed picture books and have your children unwrap one book a day throughout Advent. The excitement builds as they discover the next book each morning, and then the whole family enjoys reading a new story together.
The first year I did it, my children were ages three and one, and we only owned a handful of Christmas-themed picture books. I ended up wrapping a bunch of books from the library. My kids were too little to know the difference!
That year, things were hilariously chaotic. We started with one book a day, and then it turned into one book a day per kid. My kids wanted to open all the books at once and I ended up having to hide them out of reach. Yet there was beauty in the chaos, and we all loved the experience enough to do it again the next year. And the year after that.
Since then, the tradition and our Christmas book collection has grown. This year, I easily found more than enough books to wrap. And my current three-year-old was very excited to help wrap the books while her older siblings were out of the house.
Seven years later, I cherish this simple yet fun activity that brings anticipation and connection to each day in December.
A sustainable way to celebrate
As much as I love this tradition, it can use a lot of paper for a family that’s trying to go green (like the saints!) as much as we can.
So, I was delighted to see a more sustainable wrapping option going around social media. Some families take a few minutes on Christmas Day or the day after to re-wrap the books with the wrapping paper from the gifts (wrinkles and all) and stash them away for the next year.
I love this idea to include the kids in cleaning up the wrapping paper and preparing the books to continue the tradition for another year. Not only does this make your Advent calendar a little more eco-friendly, but it adds a little nostalgia to next Advent as the kids will recognize the paper from previous years.
This simple Advent activity creates lasting memories, encourages sustainability, and brings a little extra magic to the season.
Consider this your little reminder to set aside those Advent picture books and reuse the Christmas wrapping paper for the following year.
I hope you’ll look forward to this tradition as much as my family does every Advent!
