The holiday season often means lots of joy, laughter, gifts, and unfortunately – waste. Many popular advent calendars, like those made by Lego, bring Christmas cheer for kids in the weeks leading up to the big day. But once December 25th comes and goes, these calendars usually get tossed in the recycling (maybe) or the trash.
However, you can actually reuse a Lego advent calendar to reduce waste! In this comprehensive guide, as a professional custom advent calendar printing manufacturer, I’ll explain multiple ways to repurpose and reuse Lego holiday countdowns year after year. You can also make your own reusable advent calendar out of Lego bricks.
Clever Ways To Repurpose Your Lego Advent Calendar
If you or your kids got a Lego advent calendar over the past holiday season, you may be wondering what to do with it now. Sure, you could disassemble it and add the bricks to your larger Lego collection. But there are better ways to repurpose these calendars!
Here are my top suggestions for reusing a Lego holiday countdown:
Turn It Into A Holiday Village Scene
Once you’ve opened all the doors and compartments in a Lego advent calendar, the whole thing lays flat. This gives you the perfect backdrop for a festive Lego village!
Simply leave your calendar intact, and build small houses, shops, parks, skating rinks, etc. on top of it using Lego bricks. You can even incorporate Christmas trees and mini winter scenes.
This creates a readymade wintery environment, and it makes a perfect holiday decoration you can display each December. Just find a safe storage spot for it the rest of the year.
Build A Mini Lego City
Similar to the village scene, you could also construct an entire Lego metropolis on your old advent calendar. This lets your kids’ imaginations run wild as they design skyscrapers, stadiums, hospitals, parks, and anything else that makes up a bustling Lego city.
To really bring their city to life, have them name streets and buildings after themselves and their friends! Then challenge them to add at least one new structure to the city every month until next Christmas.
Fashion It Into A Holiday Card Display
Once December rolls around again, transform your Lego advent calendar into a personalized card holder! Have your kids hang all the cards they receive along the different doors and compartments just like they would chocolate or mini Lego sets.
You can arrange them alphabetically by friend’s name or in order of when the cards arrived. Getting creative with card displays is a great way to spread holiday cheer all season long. Plus it transforms something that would normally get thrown out into festive home decor.
How To Make Your Own Reusable Lego Advent Calendar
The above repurposing ideas allow you to reuse an existing Lego advent calendar. But you may be interested in constructing your own reusable countdown that your family can use year after year.
With just a little planning, some basic building skills, and a lot of creativity, you can build a custom advent calendar from Lego bricks. Here’s what you need to know to DIY your own:
Pick A Design Style
First, decide if you want your calendar to look like a house, a Christmas tree, a reindeer, or anything else suitably festive. You essentially want to build a structure or sculpture that has 24 compartments to open each day leading up to Christmas.
To gather inspiration, search sites like Lego Ideas and Pinterest for Lego advent calendar designs. Take note of ones that you can easily replicate or put your own spin on.
Ensure You Have The Right Supplies
Before getting started, make sure you have enough Lego bricks in an array of colors and sizes. You’ll also need sticker sheets if you want to number each compartment for days 1-24.
Refer to advent calendar building tutorials to determine exactly which pieces and colors work best. Having the right supplies from the start prevents frustrations down the road.
Map Out The Basic Structure
Now it’s time to map out the skeleton of your Lego advent calendar design! Start by building the outer walls and main shape first.
Most importantly, incorporate 24 openings of some sort – these will ultimately be the compartments you fill with Lego sets or treats. You can build little drawers, flaps, or doors. Just make sure each space is big enough to fit small items.
Decorate The Finished Calendar
Once your advent calendar structure is secure, it’s time for the fun part – decking it out!
Add Lego wreaths, string lights, Christmas trees, snowmen, presents being unwrapped, reindeer pulling a sleigh…anything festive you can imagine! Go all out with the holiday theme.
This step really lets your creativity shine. Embellish to your heart’s content!
Fill The Compartments & Enjoy For Years
Lastly, fill each numbered compartment with fun surprises. Small Lego sets or minifigures work perfectly. Or you could include treats, handmade crafts, holiday jokes – anything that fits!
Then let the countdown begin December 1st! Thanks to your handmade advent calendar, you’re saving plastic waste year after year. Plus it becomes a beloved family tradition in your household.
Have your kids help decorate it in new ways each season. Over time, add on to the basic structure you built. The only limit is your family’s imagination!
I hope these suggestions give you plenty of ideas for repurposing and reusing both storebought and homemade Lego advent calendars.
The holidays generate so much unnecessary waste. But with a little creativity, these popular toys can provide enjoyment for kids long after Christmas comes and goes!
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments:
- What’s your favorite advent calendar repurposing idea from above?
- Have you ever made your own reusable advent calendar? What design did you create?
- How else do you reduce holiday waste in your household?
Let me know! And if you try any of these Lego advent calendar projects.