[Babybat]

Step 1: Take your advent calendar and pull out the tray with the chocolate
Step 2: Remove the chocolate (put them out of sight or throw them away)
Step 3: Get some paper and a pen and write inspirational things to keep you on track with your diet (or whatever you feel is right for you) on the paper
Step 4: Get a pair of scissors and cut out the words and messages you've wrote (enough to fill every hole in the calendar)
Step 5: Fold each paper and put it in the empty calendar tray
Step 6: Use scotch tape to cover each hole so the paper stays inside

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Anyway hope someone found this helpful

[1987]

That's such a cute idea. I don't have an advent calendar myself, but sounds like a good plan for those that want a chocolate free alternative!

[mountain walker]

What a great idea and low cost too!
We bought my little boy a Lego one this year...it was expensive but we plan to reuse it next year a buy a mini figure every couple of weeks to go in it. He is THRILLED with it and much better than chocolate for breakfast!

[OhThePlaces]

Yep, I've been searching for a candy-free advent calendar for my 3 and 1 year olds... I decided to make my own and instead of candy, I included a piece if paper with a special craft we can make, outing, or Christmas activity to do together. I just didn't thinks they needed 25 days of candy so close to Halloween.

[Quiet Ballerina]

Saw this idea on pinterest:

Not sure if I can link to the exact blog, but I want to give the blogger credit.
So if you want to find her blog, google kimmccrary

"Instead of gifts and goodies, I printed little cards for the advent pockets. Each one lists something we can do together each day. Some have “choose a special Christmas goodie” though."

Decorate your tree
Go to the Festival of Trees as a family
Go on a wagon ride through the lights at Thanksgiving Point
Shop for gifts for other children (FSTC Santa’s Workshop)
Unwrap a book to read
Have hot cocoa and cookies with our neighbors (Neighborhood Service Project)
Open your special ornament and put in on your tree
Make a craft with Mom
Write a letter to Santa
Go to the Christmas party at church
Go to Temple Square to see the nativity
Go sledding with Dad
Have a family Christmas movie night with treats
Choose a special treat
Shop for a gift for your preschool party
Have FHE with our BYU friends
Ride on the Polar Express
Have lunch at a special restaurant with our family
Wear new jammies to bed
Have FHE with your cousins
Decorate cookies
Read the story about the birth of Jesus

[kaplods]

My family tends to overspend on the holidays, and in college and graduate school when I had no money, my Christmas gifts to my younger sisters (14 and 16 years younger than I) was a booklet of one-per-month coupons for an inexpensive outing alone with me. The guideline was it couldn't cost more than $5. Sometimes they'd choose a book or a magazine, or some fingernail polish... We ended up calling these play dates "sistering" time or just plain sistering (As in "Can we go sistering today?")


The first year I had money to buy larger gifts, I dropped the coupons, and my sisters were so disappointed (on Christmas Eve when family members exchanged gifts), that I had to print up a set and put them in their stockings for Christmas Day (by this time they were teenagers and no longer believed in Santa Claus). They were excited to get them and thought I had planned the Christmas Day surprise (I only told them years later that I had printed them up THAT night).

My sisters are now in their 30's, and I'm going to be 47 and we still verbify the word sister into "sistering" to describe out getting together to do sistery stuff.

[krampus]

I didn't know chocolate advent calendars were a thing until recently. Ours growing up had little pictures under each day of the month, with a baby Jesus on the 24th.

[Skellig19]

Another fun idea is putting different tea in each advent date and making a pot to share with your loved ones. I was thinking of doing that this year but I haven't had time to make the advent calender. You could use loose leaf or bagged, though loose leaf tastes much better and I find taking the time to prepare a fresh pot of tea more relaxing then dropping a bag in a mug of tepid water.

This is also 0 calorie! Gosh, I love tea!