Get ready to welcome the upcoming holiday season with this festive DIY Gingerbread Paper Village advent calendar. It will add a charming decorative element to your home while you count down the days until Christmas.
Last year, my husband and I started a new holiday tradition for our son by making DIY Origami Advent Calendar Christmas Tree. This year, we decided to continue the tradition with another handmade advent calendar.
While store-bought advent calendars are undoubtedly convenient, crafting our own DIY holiday countdown just feels more special to me. I especially love the flexibility of being able to pick and personalise the content for each day, making the countdown even more meaningful for our child. Adding our creative touch not only makes the advent calendar uniquely ours but also significantly contributes to getting us into the holiday spirit.
DIY Gingerbread Paper Village Advent Calendar
There’s something truly magical about gingerbread decoration during the holiday season. This year, I decided to capture that magic on my child’s advent calendar by crafting gingerbread paper art with 20 charming houses and 4 Christmas trees. When they come together, it looks a cozy wintry scene, straight out of a gingerbread village from a fairy tale.
As Christmas is all about spreading joy, I’m delighted to share all 24 printable patterns with you for free, so you can recreate this enchanting holiday craft in your home too. Every pattern is uniquely designed, and the 20 houses come in varying heights to make the village looks more dynamic and just simply joyful.
Watch the reels below to see how I create this DIY Gingerbread Paper Village advent calendar:
Tools & Materials
- Printer
- 24 thick cardstock paper (A4 or letter size)
- Scissors
- Glue or sticky tape
- Optional: scoring tool
Directions
Step 1: Print all the 24 patterns. You can download the patterns for free here:
For best results, it is recommended to print the patterns on thick cardstock printer paper (at least 135 gsm). While it is still possible to construct them using regular printing paper, please note that the resulting structures with thin paper may not be sturdy enough to support heavy stuffing inside.
Step 2: Cut carefully along the solid line with scissors.
Optional: If you have a scoring tool, you can score along the dashed lines to facilitate easy folding and create neater folds.
I do not apply glue to the bottom part so that I can easily open and close them for stuffing purposes and reuse them upon opening.
Step 3: Apply glue or use sticky tape on the highlighted areas above. To speed up this step, I’ve found that using glue tape instead of liquid glue stick works more effectively and is mess-free. Alternatively, you can also use double-sided tape.
Step 4: Fold along the dashed lines to transform them into cute little houses or Christmas trees.
Step 5: Repeat for the remaining 23 patterns.
Step 6: Add your chosen stuffing.
Enjoy!
This gingerbread advent calendar isn’t just for kids—it looks great for adults, too! Whether you’re making it for yourself or as a fun gift for a grown-up friend, the festive spirit is sure to shine through. It’s a cute and enjoyable way for everyone to count down to the holidays.
Happy holidays ♡
