Advent calendar ideas for your boyfriend or girlfriend: 24 little surprises, one for every day

An advent calendar for your partner turns December into 24 small moments of “they thought of me today”. It doesn't need to be expensive: most of the doors can cost nothing at all. Here's a full plan for 24 days, then how to build it.

The 4 kinds of doors

• Treats: small things to eat, use or wear.
• Notes: a reason you love them, a memory, a line from your song.
• Activities: something to do together that day or that weekend.
• The finale: one big personal surprise on the 24th.

24 ideas, day by day

1. A note: “24 days until Christmas, and I still pick you every day.”
2. Their favorite chocolate.
3. A coupon for a movie night, their choice.
4. A photo of your first picture together, printed.
5. Hot chocolate and marshmallows: tonight's plan.
6. A note: the moment you knew.
7. Cozy socks.
8. A coupon for breakfast in bed this weekend.
9. A song: send the link to the one that's yours.
10. A mini bottle of their favorite drink.
11. A note: three things you love about them that they don't know.
12. A Christmas cookie recipe to bake together.
13. A small candle that smells like winter.
14. A coupon for a winter walk and a warm drink.
15. A note: your favorite memory of this year.
16. A face mask or a bath bomb for a lazy evening.
17. Ticket for a surprise date (you plan it).
18. Their favorite snack from childhood.
19. A note: what you're looking forward to next year together.
20. A Christmas movie list and popcorn.
21. A polaroid of the two of you with a caption.
22. A coupon for one day with no chores.
23. A note: “Tomorrow, the last door. Get ready.”
24. The finale: a letter, a love page or a book of your year.

How to make it in one evening

1. Write the 24 doors on a list first, and the notes on your phone.
2. Buy the small things in one trip (most cost a few dollars).
3. Use 24 small bags, envelopes or boxes, numbered 1 to 24.
4. Hang them on a string with clothespins, or put them in a box by the bed.
5. Hide the finale somewhere else and leave a clue in door 24.

Long distance: a digital advent calendar

If you're apart in December, send a message, a voice note or a photo each morning for 24 days, and mail the small gifts in one box with numbered bags. For the finale, a love page can stay sealed behind a countdown until the 24th: they see the timer every day, and on Christmas Eve it opens on your photos, your story and your letter.

Prefer something ready-made? Our digital advent calendar puts 24 little gifts on one private page with your story: a note and a photo in each, ideas to start from, and each one opening at midnight where they are, with no way to peek early. It suits long distance because there's nothing to post. Free to make and preview; publishing takes Love+, which you can cancel anytime.