Presenting your loved ones with an advent calendar is a sure-fire way to win in the popularity stakes. Packing the little parcels yourself makes the calendar more personal and also lets you pick contents that are sustainable. Need some inspiration for a tasty and fun festive season? Read on!
Sweet treats – all hail the sugary season
More than any other time of the year, the Christmas season confronts us with one sweet temptation after the other. Advent calendars packed with the recipient’s favourite snacks are a great way to space out these treats. How about a colourful selection of RAWBITE bars? (Bet you didn’t expect us to suggest that…) Our Snackboxes contain 45 handy mini versions in Cacao, Cashew or Protein and is a wonderfully tasty – and vegan – alternative to sugary sweets.
You could also get creative yourself and wow your loved one with home-made surprises. All it takes is a few ingredients and a little time. DIY recipes are usually healthier, contain less sugar and you always have the option of making vegan alternatives. Remember that the contents of your calendar have to keep for a few days (ideally until it’s time for the little door to be opened, but honestly – temptation is difficult to resist!)
Teas or spice blends are great choices, and you can run wild with different cinnamon-based Christmas flavours or hot spice blends.
Breakfast fans will love home-made muesli or granola. The choice is yours: from basic and natural, to luxury versions packed with (vegan) chocolate or dried fruit – let your imagination run free! Our tip: add whole nuts for extra crunchiness.
Everyone loves baking in winter, so why not make your own cake or biscuit mixes and fill them in Kilmer jars. Simply pick your favourite recipe and layer the ingredients in a jar.
Sustainable gifts
It’s always a good idea to pack your advent calendar with a good balance of edible treats and small gifts. If you want to focus on sustainability then pick presents that the recipient will find themselves using again and again, for instance a shopping net, a shampoo bar or some hand-sewn, reusable cotton pads.
If you’re handy with a sewing machine or knitting needles, you could make a woolly hat, a bag charm or some lovely home-made fabric masks.
Regional presents
Of course, you don’t have to make all the contents yourself – you can also buy things to put in your calendar. We’re big believers in the motto “support your locals”: browse the small shops in your neighbourhood and score points with truly regional products. Or how about a voucher for a restaurant or a café, or cinema tickets? All of these benefit your neighbourhood – and you’re avoiding waste!
Sustainable wrapping and packing
On the subject of waste: before you buy wrapping paper, take a look around your home to see what you could use instead. Have you got an old shoe box from your last shopping trip? Empty toilet paper rolls? Or last weekend’s newspaper? All of these are brilliant alternatives for wrapping your gifts. Or you may even have some old gift wrap that you can reuse.
If you can’t find anything, you could always sew your own little bags to make the advent calendar more sustainable. These bags can be reused year after year. Decorate the calendar with pine cones or baubles that you no longer use.
Did you know that you can fold wrapping paper so that you don’t need ribbon or sticky tape to keep it in place?
As you can see, there are so many ways of making and filling a vegan, sustainable advent calendar! RAWBITE wishes you lots of fun making and gifting your calendar. Have a lovely countdown to Christmas! ☺
Pure Taste. Pure Joy.
