It smells like fir! In exactly not-many-days, Christmas will be back. To transform this drumroll into a delicious, joyful, and festive moment, Les 2 Marmottes invites you to make a homemade Advent calendar that will smell not only of fir but also of verbena, fennel, lemon, ginger, anise, sage, and many other enchanting surprises!
Originally, the Advent calendar was invented in Germany to keep children waiting until Christmas... Except that for adults too, it's a long wait until December 25th! How about a pretty DIY Advent calendar, in the colors of the Marmots? Ideal as a gift or to treat yourself to relieve the pressure and sleep well until Christmas.
Since you can never be better served than by yourself, we offer you a tutorial to make your own Advent calendar in tea and/or infusion version .
To avoid an extra headache as Christmas approaches, this Advent calendar is easy to make : you don't need a lot of materials; just sheets of paper and pieces of wood will do. Shaped like a fir tree, this Advent calendar also serves as a Christmas decoration. All you have to do is slip your favorite infusions into this simple calendar and hang it on the wall or behind a door.
You can then reuse it every year, and refill this DIY Advent calendar with only your favorite teas and herbal teas or, as we suggest here, slip a different herbal tea into each box. You're also free to add chocolates, small toys, or other festive treats to get into the Christmas spirit.
25 boxes to fill with 25 different herbal teas, that's easy to say, but you still need to have 25 recipes at hand. The 24-box version doesn't solve anything.
For those whose cupboards aren't yet overflowing with so many herbal teas, this is where the wonderful 2 Marmottes Discovery Box comes in!
Inside, there's a hidden treasure: a selection of 30 herbal teas and teas, all in a blend. Yes, you heard us right: in this multicolored box, the recipes follow one another, but are not alike! It's as if our master brewers specially designed it to make a colorful and original DIY Advent calendar . From December 1st to 25th, you'll be spoiled for choice: a black tea to wake up on the right foot, a thyme infusion to chase away germs before the holidays, a Winter Fever infusion to avoid colds, a Back from the Evening herbal tea to anticipate the day after the holidays... It's up to you to compose your own melody of happiness until the arrival of the big bearded man dressed in red and white. Speaking of which, don't hesitate to slip him a Boost and Me sachet under the tree, with a little hot water, he'll really need it!
To make your own Les 2 Marmottes Advent calendar, you will need:
- 6 sticks of varying lengths (to collect at the bottom of the garden or during a family walk)
- sheets of colored paper (1 A4 sheet allows you to make 3 boxes)
- 25 Les 2 Marmottes infusion bags
- self-adhesive stickers (optional)
- self-adhesive tapes (optional)
- string
- scissors
- a marker or pen
- a hole punch
- a pencil (optional)
- a white felt-tip pen (optional)
- Christmas balls and ribbons (optional)
If you don't have a Discovery Box, you can choose 25 bags from the Discovery Box , or order your own assortment of bags . You can also choose from the discovery packs (5 bags for €1) offered in the "basket" section.
Lay a sheet of colored A4 paper flat on the table.
Divide the sheet into 3: draw a mark 10 cm from the edge, then with a pencil (or pen if you are sure) divide the sheet into 3 strips of equal width.
You can use a herbal tea bag to guide you.
Once the bag is placed on the sheet, there must be at least 1cm width left on each side of the bag.
The strip of paper, once folded back on itself, should cover it completely, leaving 1 cm at the top.
Cut out with scissors.
Repeat until you have 25 strips of paper of the same size.
Take a strip of paper.
Place a tea bag or herbal tea bag inside, about 1 cm from the side edges, leaving a space of about 1 cm at the top - this is the space you will need to pierce and attach the box to the rest of the Advent calendar.
Fold the strip of paper back on itself.
Seal the 2 side edges with illustrated self-adhesive tapes, or with transparent tape.
You then get a small pocket closed on 3 sides (by folding the paper at the bottom, by the stickers on the sides).
The top must remain open.
Remove the bag and repeat with the other strips of paper until you have 25 small pockets.
Using a hole punch, make a small hole at the top of each calendar box, not too close to the edge.
Indicate a number from 1 to 25 on each box.
You can write it directly with a marker or pen on the paper sleeve, or if you have stickers, place a sticker on each box and write the number on the sticker with a marker.
Depending on your inspiration and the materials you have available, you can illustrate each cover with the design of your choice, for example by drawing with white or colored felt-tip pens directly on the paper, adding stickers, etc.
Slip the tea bag or herbal tea of your choice into each box of the calendar.
Depending on your level of inspiration or indulgence, you can also add small chocolates, small personalized messages, drawings, etc.
Just one constraint: nothing too heavy or too big, which could tear the paper when you insert it.
Cut 25 pieces of string 15-20 cm long.
Thread a string through the hole made in step 4, and tie a knot to close the box.
Leave enough string hanging loose; you will use it to attach the box to the rest of the structure.
Repeat for each box.
Drink a well-deserved Christmas herbal tea to relax before moving on to the next steps.
Lay the 6 sticks flat, the smallest at the top and the largest at the bottom: they will form the frame of your calendar, in the shape of a Christmas tree.
Leave about 20 cm between each stick.
Using string, tie the structure on the left side: start by tying a strong knot on the largest stick (the one at the bottom), leaving about 20cm of string, then tie it on the top stick. Repeat until you reach the small stick at the top. Leave the rest of the string loose. Do the same on the right side.
Tie the two top strings together, making sure to leave enough space: this will be the suspension for the Advent calendar.
Attach each paper pocket by its string to a stick.
On the bottom stick, place 7 pockets, then continuing from bottom to top, 6 pockets (only 5 if you are making a 24-box version), 5 pockets, 4 pockets, 2 pockets.
Keep 1 pocket that you will hang directly on the last (and smallest) of the sticks: this will be the top of the tree, but if you place it straight away it could get in the way during hanging.
Hang the Advent Calendar in its place, and place the last pocket.
Decorate the calendar with Christmas decorations: baubles, ribbons, stars... and even the herbal tea bags you haven't used!
And here is a beautiful and joyful tea and herbal tea Advent Calendar , which will be ready to use again next year!
While waiting for Santa Claus to arrive, don't hesitate to send a photo of your work on the marmots' social networks, the whole burrow team is eager to see the result :)
If you don't know what to do to wait:
- make yourself a homemade Christmas tea
- stock up on gift ideas for tea and herbal tea fans
- Try another way to use the Discovery Box to make an ultra-easy Advent Calendar with tea bags and herbal teas
- continue the DIY decorations with groundhog Christmas decorations
- stroll through the Marmottes Christmas Market to find the best gift ideas for fans of teas and herbal teas.
An even easier and faster version of the DIY Advent Calendar? The marmots have the solution: herbal tea bags, sticky tack, and a section of wall—that's all you'll need!
Ultra-Easy DIY Advent Calendar
