Our big move across Europe from Berlin to Haarlem in the Netherlands may only have just happened, but we’ve already been inspired by living in a new country.
We absolutely love living here which is why I couldn’t resist creating a Dutch themed advent calendar and have made this super cute printable advent calendar village.
The Christmas countdown starts soon and this is the perfect advent calendar to make if you’ve not got much time as you probably already have all of the supplies you need. And, best of all, we’re sharing our free printable advent calendar village template with you, too!
This gingerbread house advent calendar is super easy to make. It does take a bit of time to assemble though as there are obviously a lot of paper houses to cut out.
This is what you will need to make this printable advent calendar village:
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- Paper – we used120g white paper
- Cutting Mat
- Scissors and/or craft knife
- Glue
- Ruler
- Printer – this is the printer that we have and absolutely love as the prints are high-quality and the ink lasts forever (well almost). We highly recommend it!
- Full printable advent calendar village (or you can get the free version below)
This is how to make the paper houses for the advent calendar village:
Step 1
Download The Files
There are two versions of this advent calendar village.
For the free version that includes 4 houses just enter your email address below and the free printable will get sent straight to your inbox. You can print each house as many times as you want to create all of the boxes you need for your advent calendar village.
Alternatively, you can get the full printable with all 25 houses (including the windmill) here. Each house is individually designed and completely unique to create a fun and festive advent calendar village
Step 2
Print The Paper Houses
Once you’ve downloaded the free printable Advent Village, print it onto some thick paper. We used 120g paper which is ideal for this project as it’s easy to print on and, more importantly, easy to cut and fold.
Step 3
Cut The Advent Houses Out
When you’ve printed all of the houses, cut them out with a craft knife or some scissors. I prefer to use a craft knife and steel ruler for perfectly straight lines but use what you prefer and feel more comfortable with.
For tidy folds, score along any lines before folding the house.
Step 4
Fold and Glue The Advent Calendar Houses
Now for the fun part! Fold your houses along the scored lines and apply a bit of glue to the tabs.
Start by glueing the base, then glue the side and finally the roof. Only glue one half of the roof in place and just fold the other half in so that you can easily open and close the paper houses to fill them.
Update: For an even tidier finish, it’s best to glue the roof and not glue the base. That way everything you see is neatly glued together and you can still get to the goodies by opening the bottom of the houses.
Step 5
Fill & Enjoy The Advent Calendar Village
All that’s left to do is fill them with some festive goodies!
These paper advent calendar houses are so easy to make and will add a fun touch of festiveness to any home. And, once you’ve made them you can reuse them year after year.
The advent calendar houses have two sides – one with a number and one without so you can turn them around when the day has gone and you’ve already had your treat.
There’s not much time left until the Christmas countdown starts so download your printable advent calendar village and have some fun making these Dutch-themed gingerbread paper houses.
And, if you love this free printable, you’ll love our gingerbread house garland, too! It’s even quicker to make and we’re sharing the template for free so you can make your own garland.
Do you love advent calendars as much as we do? What are your favourite holiday traditions?
Dianne Rowell says
Like buildings. Like paper.
Like Christmas. Our daughter-in-law (nyc) works for a Dutch agency. These will be perfect!!!
Christine says
Glad to hear you like them, Dianne!
Cx
Emily says
Tried filling out the form to receive the DIY Advent Calendar Village and had no luck. I received the email but no advent calendar was attached.
Thank you!!
Christine says
Sorry to hear you’re having problems. There’s a button in the email – just click it to download the calendar. Hope that helps!
Cx
Emily says
Hi Christine,
Thank you for your response.
I am still having no luck and can’t access the link in the email at all!
How do I go about downloading the document?
Thank you!!!
Christine says
You should have received two emails – one where you have to confirm that you’re okay with us sending you emails and the second one with the link to the houses. Please check your spam if you haven’t found the second email. Alternatively, if you just can’t find the button, make sure that you’re viewing the email as HTML.
Hope that sorts out the problems.
Cx
Laura Hilton says
Tried filling out form to receive DIY Advent Calendar Village and had no luck. Would love to have this for my grandchildren.
Christine says
I’m sure your grandchildren will love it, Laura! I’ve checked the signup form and it seems to be working fine. You just have to pop in your name and email address and the calendar will be sent straight to you.
Please try again but let me know if you’re still having problems and I’ll send the calendar straight to you.
Cx
Jolien says
I have the same problem, I filled it all in but nothing
Christine says
Hi Jolien, it’s showing that you’ve signed up but haven’t opened the email you received. Please check your spam as the email has been delivered.
Cx