15 Top Advent Calendar Filler Ideas That Everyone Will Love

The countdown to Christmas is on its way, and with it comes one of our favourite things… Advent calendars! While we’ll always love the calendars with cardboard doors and tiny chocolates, fill-your-own Advent calendars give an irresistible chance to get creative with daily December treats and treasures.

Filling an Advent calendar can feel like a pretty daunting task with so much to choose from, but don’t worry - Lisa Angel is here to help. With our inspiration, hints, and a few of our fave calendars from our Advent calendar range, we’re certain you’ll soon have all the DIY Advent calendar filler ideas you’ll need to create the perfect Christmas countdown.

We’ve even put together a handy list so you can share it with your family and friends for inspiration.

1. Household favourite sweets and chocolates
2. Lego - buy a mini kit and put a piece in each drawer
3. Tiny toys like cute erasers and plastic cars
4. Crafty bits like glitter, ribbons, stickers, and washi tape
5. Small jewellery and accessories
6. Temporary tattoos and other fun novelties
7. Movie tickets and experience vouchers
8. Hair accessories, including scrunchies, clips and slides
9. Beauty bits, e.g. lip balm pots and tiny nail varnishes
10. Bottles of beer or mini bottles of wine
11. Lottery tickets and scratch cards
12. Crystals, rocks and shiny pebbles
13. DIY coupons for beach trips, breakfast in bed, and more
14. Love tokens and sentimental messages
15. Pet treats, e.g. dog biscuits, cat toys, and seeds and nuts

December is a big deal for children looking forward to Christmas! Make sure their calendar is packed full of fun little treats to keep the magic alive as they wait.

Their favourite chocolates and sweets, as well as tiny toys like Lego figures and mini erasers, are perfect for popping in as Advent calendar fillers for toddlers and kids. Small plastic cars, animal figures and sparkly marbles are just a few more ideas for the drawers.

Our personalised postbox Advent calendar has drawer space for the best tiny treasures. Better yet, it includes a postbox slot for the kids to post their letters to Santa. Adults can open the back of the calendar to retrieve the letters and take a peek… What better way to get kids to stay off the naughty list?

Got crafty kids? Why not fill the drawers with tiny packets of glitter, rolls of colourful washi tape, fun lengths of ribbon and the cutest stickers? Inspire their imagination and encourage them to use their newfound treats to create a letter for Santa or Christmas cards for friends and family.

A new favourite of ours this year is our personalised gingerbread bakery Advent calendar. Fill each drawer with a tiny toy to bring to life the gingerbread bakery and delight your kids all through December! Better yet, this cardboard creation is yet another piece that can be reused and brought our year after year.

Who says only kids can get excited about the Christmas countdown? There are plenty of fantastic adult Advent calendar filler ideas just ready to inspire you.

For jewellery lovers, fill the drawers with treasures they can wear. Many of our delicate necklaces and stud earrings are the perfect size for calendar drawers, already coming packaged in our soft Lisa Angel gift bags to create stylish little Advent calendar treats.

“What do I put in my boyfriend’s Advent calendar?” we hear you ask - don’t panic, there are many fun little fillers for men. For a jokester, add temporary tattoos and beard glitter to make him smile! Keyrings, movie tickets, experience vouchers and more can be added to advent calendars for men, ready to get them into the Christmas spirit too.

For those who prefer accessories and beauty, small hairpieces like slides and scrunchies will fit nicely in drawers and boxes. If you can find some tiny nail varnishes, hand creams and lip balm pots, those too make the perfect Advent calendar fillers.

If you’re still wondering what to put in an Advent calendar besides sweets when it comes to grown-ups, why not treat yourself to a boozy miniature bottle of alcohol to enjoy each evening, creating a festive tipple or cocktail will really get you into the mood for the season. 

For families, partners, couples and friends, there are lots of fantastic things to pop in an Advent calendar to make December even more exciting.

Lottery tickets and scratch cards can be rolled up and popped in drawers, giving people an exciting daily buzz and the chance to win big that both kids and adults will love! Who doesn’t want to win some money to treat themselves in the new year?

Looking for a unique alternative to Advent calendar fillers? Try crystals and stones. Some children, teens and adults will love to receive a special precious stone each day, whether they’re about the healing or the aesthetic. The deep drawers in our personalised wooden gingerbread house Advent Calendar are perfect for filling with sparkling crystals and other magical treasures for all ages!

If you’re not fond of spending for Advent calendar fillers, why not pack the drawers with special homemade coupons? Promise to do the washing up, promise a trip to the beach, promise ice cream for dinner - there are endless possibilities to delight the whole family.

For partners, fill the drawers will love notes and sentimental quotes. It may not seem like much, but to start each day with words of love and affirmation can make a truly wonderful difference!

Our furry friends are absolutely part of the family, so why should they get left out on the magic?

Advent calendar drawers and boxes are often the perfect size for yummy treats, tiny toys, nuts and seeds, and more. Our light-up Advent calendar for pets has drawers just the right size for doggy snacks to make Spike’s December, or small mice toys for Mittens to chase. Better yet, this calendar (like all of our Advent calendars) is reusable and refillable, ready to be taken out and used year after year.

Got larger treats in mind for your pet? Our personalised hamper box is the perfect size for filling with bigger toys and snacks, and with its easy latch fastening and spacious interior, you can simply pull a gift out each day before securing it back up. The wooden tokens on the front will help keep track of the days through December, keeping the countdown magic alive.

Even with all of our ideas, there are still countless more out there waiting to be thought up. Anything the right size can be popped into Advent calendar drawers and boxes, giving all of us the opportunity to make the Christmas countdown unique!

Why not give the family a chance to choose their own treats? Share our list of inspo and ideas with them and see what kind of whimsical winter Advent fillers you can come up with together…