Make your own Christmas Express Advent calendar

Is your little one eager to start the countdown to Christmas? Pop them on the fast train with this gorgeous DIY Christmas Express Advent calendar.

This fun Christmas Express Advent calendar is a great way to start the holiday season. It’s a snap to put together and, best of all, you can fill it with whatever you like — small toys, a few chocolates, activity cards and more.

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All you need is a printer, a few paper gift bags, some ribbon and a bit of time. This will be an Advent calendar your kids will never forget.

Christmas Express Advent calendar

Supplies:

• 24 brown or white paper bags sized 165 millimetres x 85 millimetres (available from Spotlight in the party section)
• A printer
• A hole punch
• A4 sheets of paper
• Masking tape
• Scissors
• Ribbon of your choice
• Black pen
• Printed activity cards, small toys or chocolates — one or two for each bag

Instructions:

Take a sheet of A4 paper and a brown paper bag. Tape the bag to the centre of the paper at the top, bottom and sides, then run it through your printer using the template for the Christmas Express train steamer.

Repeat this process 23 more times, this time using the template for the Christmas Express train carriage.

Print off a few sheets of the activity card suggestions if you are using them, trim them to size, then write your chosen activities on them.

Once all the bags are printed, number them and pop in an activity card, a small toy or a chocolate in each. Punch a hole in the top of each bag, tie it off with ribbon, then either hang or trail along a Christmas table to create your very own Christmas Express.

More Christmas craft ideas

Christmas crafts your toddler will love
10 DIY Christmas gifts you actually want
DIY Christmas crackers