70+ Advent Calendar Ideas for the boyfriend or husband

Update: The original advent calendar list was from 2015. I’ve recently updated this to include advent calendar ideas for 2022 and will be continuously adding as ideas come.

I have a tradition in my house. Every year, I do an advent calendar of small wrapped gifts for my boyfriend, now husband. Last year’s advent calendar was only “13 days of Christmas”. This year I did 25 days of Christmas. I thought I’d share what sort of things I’ve wrapped up (including ideas that I didn’t use). These would also make great stocking stuffers or Valentine’s Day gifts for him.

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It’s no secret that we love advent calendar’s in our house. We started this tradition in our house over five years ago and still maintain it every year.

Over the years I went from making advent calendars like a beer advent calendar for my boyfriend, who is now my husband, to making DIY advent calendars for my daughter.

If you are looking for advent calendar fillers or stocking stuffers for your kids, here’s a list that is grouped by ages. Some of the items here might even make a good gag gift or be a great nostalgia piece for him!

What type of Advent Calendar should I get for him?

The first year that I put together an advent calendar for him, I just wrapped each item individually.

The next year, I made a beer calendar advent calendar (seen above).

I also like the wooden advent calendars you can get from Homesense or Amazon but keep in mind that these advent calendars can’t hold very much and usually can only hold very small items.

If you have a Cricut and choose to go the DIY route, you can make an advent calendar out of toilet paper rolls.

ADVENT CALENDAR FILLER IDEAS FOR HIM

I’ve always struggled with what to put in advent calendars so I started jotting down all of the things I could come up with. The list has really grown over the years!

1. Socks (Pair of socks, multiples, etc). He ALWAYS seems to need socks.
2. Underwear: Boxers/Briefs (just like socks, they can always use new underwear), this brand is the best
3. 6 Pack of his favourite beer
4. A digital Christmas movie to watch (think redemption vouchers)
5. A handwritten love note
6. His favourite chocolate
7. Fleece pants to wear in the house
8. Hot chocolate (packets or container)
9. Kinder Surprise Eggs (There are Mickey Mouse ones that are really cute this year (2015), or other themed ones – Minion ones are around too)
10. Tea bags or coffee beans (depending on his preference)
11. Trail Mix (great if he works in an office and packs as a great snack)
12. Love coupons – preferably homemade, or more racey ones here
13. Portable Sriracha
14. Lip balm – Burt’s Bees is our favourite!
15. A message in a bottle (craft stores/dollar stores have small cork bottles)
16. 2-player board games – here is a list of our favourites
17. A pack of cards
18. Gum/mint (great for the car or for his meetings or interviews)
19. Earbuds
20. A warm hat
21. Gloves (for the car)
22. Travel size mouth wash
23. Deodorant
24. Pocket Knife
25. Shoe Polish
26. Beef Jerky
27. Knife sharpening kit
28. Bandaids (the cartoon ones are cute)
29. Car mount for a cellphone (this one is the one I’ve had for the last 2 years)
30. Air freshener for the car
31. Sporks – great for his packed lunch
32. Pocket backpack
33. Playstation Plus/Xbox Gold – if he’s a gamer
34. Bottle Opener
35. Portable Flash Drive / SD card
36. An axe to cut wood for the fireplace (no really, he requested this)
37. Travel mug
38. Sunglasses
39. Hand cream
40. A massage bar – this one from Lush smells really nice
41. Gift cards (e.g. I bought a $5 one to the coffee shop we first went to)
42. An e-Reader/portable tablet (the smaller ones are great if he takes the subway/train for commuting)
43. Fishing gear
44. Camping gear
45. Magazine subscription
46. A monthly subscription box (e.g. Dollar Shave Club)
47. Books
48. A tie or cufflinks
49. Tide-to-go
50. Movie tickets
51. Sleep mask
52. Book (Reading) light
53. Razor cartridges
54. Cell phone chargers (really, where do these always disappear to?)
55. Snack-size Pringles
56. Mini bubble bath
57. Money clip
58. Nail clippers
59. Coffee cup/mug
60. Vitamins
61. Cough drops
62. Mini kleenex packs
63. Batteries
64. Lego/Knex (for the kid in all of us)
65. Pez
66. A healthy snack – fruit (apples/oranges should last the month)
67. Lint brush roller – for homes with pets
68. A homemade CD/playlist with songs that remind you of him
69. Hot rod snack pack
70. A lanyard for his keys
71. Floss
72. Sneaker Balls (deodorizes shoes)
73. A flask – engrave to customize
74. Guitar picks
75. Seeds to plant in the spring
76. Lottery ticket
77. Fidget spinners
78. Mini Rubiks cube
79. Multipurpose tool card
80. Custom mailing stamps 
81. Candles
82. Personalized Christmas Ornament (you can make one using ceramic tiles found at the hardware store)
83. Gingerbread making kit
84. No-tie Shoelaces (I first saw these for kids, but they make them for adults too!)
85. An art print
86. Cologne (if you’re cheap like me, get one of the trial packs from your department store)
87. Condoms
88. Pocket Q-tips
89. Couples keychains (These are great for Valentine’s day too)
90. Whisky Stones
91. Popsockets
92. LCD writing tablet (aka Boogie Board)
93. A toy or can of food for his pet (if he has one)
94. Kid-sized box of cereal
95. Spotify Glass (keychain version or small frame)
96. Beard oil/balm
97. A can of pop
98. House slippers or reading socks
99. Adult vitamins
100. Pocket massager gun
101. Bookmark
102. Art supplies
103. Mad libs for adults
104. Drink coasters
105. Pocket Emergency weather radio