Growing up our family had one of the Avon Christmas Countdown Calendars from 1987 with the mouse that moved from one day to the next. While not a true Advent calendar as it simply counts 1–24, the practice of building expectation by marking the days leading up to Christ’s coming is etched in my memory (as is the spirit of competition with my siblings to be the one to wake up and move the mouse first, complete with gloating, “I moved the mousey” song that sits squarely outside the spirit of Advent).

Advent calendars and similar traditions can be helpful tools for faith formation at home. Here are a number of options, some of which are free and some that require purchase or donations.

1. Lego Advent

The Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas has collaborated with First Baptist Church in Beebe, Arkansas to develop a free printable set of prayers to accompany the Lego City 2026 Advent Calendar. The prayers for each day of the calendar from December 1–24 connect with the brick builds and lift up various members of our wider communities, like musicians, farmers, grocery workers, and firefighters. You can follow the link to access the Lego Advent Calendar 2026 prayers.

2. AdventWord

AdventWord is a global Advent Calendar offering images and meditations for reflection every day of Advent. You can sign up to receive a daily email on the AdventWord homepage linked above, and you can download official #AdventWord graphics and find additional resources at the AdventWord resources page. AdventWord is great for concentrating on specific terms pulled from the lectionary readings.

3. Praying in Color

“Praying in Color” creator Sybil MacBeth offers free printable Advent calendars for “doodling” prayers, as she describes it, each day of Advent. She also provides guidance on how to introduce “Praying in Color” as a practice. You can access her 2026 Advent templates at the Praying in Color website.

4. Advent Calendar Cards

The SALT Advent Calendar features printable cards with illustrations for each day of the season. The cards include activities to do on weekdays and scriptures and meditations to read on Sundays. You can put the cards in numbered envelopes, as SALT suggests, hang them up, or use them in another way. We love the beauty of these. The personal use download is $12, and they offer very reasonable increased costs for use on a larger scale. They have additional Advent and Christmas resources as well on their Digital/Printable Resources page.

5. Rituals & Prayers Advent Cards

Families Celebrate Advent & Christmas contains cards for each day of the Advent and Christmas seasons with illustrations, short reflections, practices, and prayers. These are great for families to incorporate rituals or activities into their day-to-day lives during these seasons. The pack of cards is $10.99 and is published by Augsburg Fortress. You can also download a free promotional pack on their website with ideas for using the cards in your church and several coloring pages.

6. A Sanctified Art Advent Calendar

A Sanctified Art has released their 2026 Advent resources, and the collection includes two different printable Advent calendars: one designed for children and their families and another designed for youth and adults. Their 2026 theme is “Until the Dawn: Actions for the Work of Advent.” The calendar for children and their families is a paper prayer chain with conversation starters, and the youth and adult calendar provides breath prayers for each day. Both calendars are sold together. Copies for personal use can be purchased for $5 each, and copies for church use can be purchased at varying rates by quantity starting at $20 for up to 25 copies.

7. Illustrated Advent Calendar

Illustrated Ministry has developed “An Illustrated Advent Calendar” as a digital printable for family or church use. Three different editions of the calendar are currently available at the above link: a geometric shapes design, one that features shepherds and stars, and a version with strands of Christmas lights. A new calendar, “A Thrill of Hope Advent Calendar,” has also been released for 2026 in conjunction with additional “A Thrill of Hope” formation resources for children, youth, families, and congregations. Each edition of the calendar begins on December 1 and ends on Christmas and involves coloring and other activities. Pricing is on a sliding scale for all of the calendars ($2.99 for a household, $9.99 – 15.99 by church size).

8. StoryMakers NYC Advent Calendar

StoryMakers NYC offers an Advent calendar with drawing, coloring, and journaling activities. The calendar consists of 25 prompts, and each day features a scripture to read along with an activity page. Stickers are also provided with the calendar. It is available for purchase for $20. You can find out more at this link: StoryMakers NYC Advent Calendar.

9. Shine Family Advent Calendar

Shine has released a digital Advent and Christmas kit for 2026 for families and congregations to use. The theme of the kit is “Bright Lights, Holy Nights,” and it includes a “Count and Color the Days!” family Advent calendar, along with other fun activities to engage faith at home. The kit is available for individual family use for $7.99 and for congregations on a sliding scale based on number of families for $19.99 – 39.99. You can find out more at the link above.

10. Outdoor Advent Calendar

Although this list of calendars is designed to focus on faith-related resources, one calendar that isn’t explicitly Christian deserves mention. 1000 Hours Outside, a practice launched by Ginny Yurich to promote time outdoors for children and families, created a free “Outdoor Advent Calendar” for 2023. It includes 29 activities to do outside, and two different versions are available: one tailored to warm climates and another for cool areas. Because the calendar is undated, it can be used in any Advent season. It can be a helpful resource for incorporating creation care into your Advent celebration.

What is your favorite Advent Calendar? Know of a new one to add to our list? Tell us in the comments!

Editor’s Note: This article was first published on November 2, 2020. It has been revised, updated, and republished for 2026 on October 22, 2026 with the author’s permission.

Featured image is by Congerdesign on Pixabay