10 low-waste and fairtrade advent calendars 2022 *REVISED*
I remember growing up waiting so patiently for December 1st to come around. You see, growing up in church meant that Auntie Barbara, Doris and Daphne all made sure to get me my own advent calendar on top of the one already been given by my parents and soon I had five advent calendars lined up, some making it til Christmas day and others consumed before. The thing is, it never even crossed my mind about the amount of waste at Christmas- that I was a statistic adding to the incredible and deeply saddening overconsumption figures. As time has gone on, as I’ve listened to the requests of my three-year-old for unicorns, electric toothbrushes and wind up dinosaurs, I realise I have a responsibility to do things a little different. There will be a series of blogs over Christmas with ideas on how to kick the consumption and it starts here with 10 low-waste advent calendar ideas!
1.Little Beacon Fabric Calendar- £79
I’m already a huge fan of Little Beacon, but now even more so after this release! Fabric calendars are great as they can be reused year after year and allow a lot of flexibility with what you put inside as kids grow. I made one for Heppy a few years ago with some scrap material- to be totally honest it was more work than I anticipated (I am definitely a novice sewer!) but we will use it year after year. Last year I went to the package free shop and filled the holes with chocolate buttons, Christmas chocolate from coco loco, as well as a few activity ideas and figurines from our nativity! We can’t wait to do it again! Some others I love are: This one and this one and this advent house
There are lots of ideas on Pinterest if you need some great homemade calendar ideas too! Why not try making one!
2. Tonys chocoloney advent calendar - £14.99 (currently half price at £7.49)
One of my favourite ever companies *drool*. Their chocolate is slave free, they’re making waves, and they suggest using the tray afterwards to grow plants. They say it’s plastic-free so I’m eager to explore more when Joseph presents this one to me this year *cough cough*. It’s a3 in size- so pretty big! and got lots of flavours inside!
3. Moomin advent calendar paper- £3.99 (currently half price)
Paper advent calendars I think have been long forgotten with chocolate window calendars entering on to the scene but there is something so lovely about the simplicity of a paper calendar. There are some great ones available and they can easily be recycled, reused or made into a craft.
4. unicef gift advent calendar- £25
A beautiful charity advent calendar sending gifts to children who need them most.
Another calendar giving back is: Advent for Change- a calendar with 24 donations behind each window, you can see more about the charities they support on their website.
5. Perri-May Kind advent calendar- £3.49
We used this sweet calendar last year and will use it again this year. From a local contact here in West Sussex, I love how this one makes kids think outside of the box, how they can bless others and gives a sense of purpose for the day with ideas like eating dinner by candlelight, being kind to someone in their class and ringing someone to tell them you love them.
6. CLIPPER TEA ADVENT CALENDAR 24 BAGS- £2.49 CURRENTLY ON SALE
24 cups of Christmas cheer in the new clipper tea advent calendar! Filled with organic tea & infusions flavours to try during the lead up to Christmas day.
7. Moo Dairy-free advent calendar - £4.79
Packaged in recycled and recyclable plastic and card, Moo chocolate is made with UTZ certified cocoa which helps to support sustainable farming and provides better opportunities for farmers, their families and our planet. Made in the UK this is a great option for kids who are dairy free. I like that it is in the lower price bracket compared to the other chocolate calendars.
8. Montezuma’s chocolate advent calender - £11.99 (currently 35% off)
I’ve heard there are sizeable chunks of chocolate behind each door which sits great with me! I always feel shortchanged with something small! I love the brand Montezuma’s they have a great range of products. They also have a vegan version of this particular calendar!
Another option but more affordable is the Divine chocolate fairtrade advent calendar, you can find it here.
9. Meri Meri Nativity craft advent calendar - £25.00
This beautiful advent calendar can be used time and time again. As well as the excitement of opening a numbered tray everyday, kids will love to re-enact the nativity story!
Beautifully designed and doubles up as a great Christmas decoration. Meri Meri do others too- this one is beautiful!
Roger La Borde also has some beautiful craft calendars! and this advent book from Katie Hickey is so stunning!
10. Play in Choc Vegan advent calendar - £55.00
This one is on the pricier end of the spectrum. The chocolate is Vegan and has no refined sugar which is pretty rare for advent calendars- I believe it’s coconut sugar instead. I’ve tried it and love it, and each of the 24 drawers has a sustainable cardboard surprise 3D puzzle toy in them. A very sweet idea!
We’l be refilling my handmade advent calendar this year- so I’m gonna start planning some things to go inside! I hope you find something great that works for your family!