Advent Calendar Alternative: Turn December into a Daily Hunt Game

An advent calendar does not have to be a cardboard box with chocolate behind every door. One set of 100 numbered hunt figures covers all 24 days of December: hide about 4 each night, and your kids find them before breakfast. The set costs €19.99, hiding takes a few minutes each evening, and the same figures still work for birthdays and Easter long after the tree comes down.

What can you use instead of an advent calendar?

A daily hunt game is the simplest swap. Instead of opening a numbered door, your child finds small numbered figures somewhere in the house, every morning from December 1 to 24. There is no sugar, no plastic toy that breaks by lunchtime, and nothing to throw away in January. We make hunt games with 100 numbered figures per set, and one set is enough for the whole month with figures to spare. You decide the pace, the hiding spots and the difficulty, which is something no pre-filled calendar lets you do.

How does a December daily hunt work?

Each evening, after the kids are in bed, you hide a few figures around the living room or kitchen. In the morning they search before school, then tick the numbers they found on the tracking sheet. Each set includes 4 tracking sheets, so the whole month fits on paper without any extra printing. The figures live in a drawstring pouch between rounds, which makes the nightly setup quick. For context, hiding a full set of 100 takes about ten minutes, so tucking away 4 figures is the work of a moment.

How many figures do you need for 24 days?

About 4 per day. A set of 100 divided across 24 days gives you 4 figures each morning, with a few left over for a bigger final hunt on Christmas Eve. If you prefer a slower build, hide 2 or 3 on weekdays and save larger batches for the weekends. The 100 Yellow Duck Hunt Game is numbered 1 to 100, so you can also hide in number order: days 1 to 24 of December match ducks 1 to 24, and older kids quickly spot the pattern.

What age does a daily hunt suit?

Ages 3 and up. Each figure is about 1.6 cm, printed in plant-based PLA that is non-toxic and odorless, so small hands can carry them around all month. Three to five year olds mostly enjoy the finding and the counting out loud. Six to eight year olds get more from the numbers: matching each figure to the tracking sheet, keeping a running total, or predicting how many are hidden today. The hunt stays the same, the layer of difficulty is yours to choose.

Does it work for siblings sharing one calendar?

Yes, and it often works better than two separate calendars. One set suits 8 to 10 kids at a party, so two or three siblings have plenty of room in a daily hunt. The 4 tracking sheets mean each child keeps their own score without arguments over whose door it was. If you want zero overlap, the Mega Hunt Pack gives each child their own animal: ducks for one, turtles for another, bunnies for the third. That is 300 pieces for €49.99, enough for a whole December of hunts plus the Christmas party itself.

When should you order to start on December 1?

Order by November 20 if you live outside Portugal, and by November 24 within Portugal. We print each set to order in Coimbra, Portugal (EU) and ship in 1 business day. Delivery then takes 3 to 5 days in Portugal and 5 to 7 days in the rest of Europe, so those dates leave a comfortable margin before the first hiding night on November 30. Shipping is €6.99 to Portugal, €7.99 across the EU and €9.99 elsewhere, and every order has 30-day returns.

What happens to the figures after Christmas?

They go back in the pouch and wait for the next occasion. The same set runs a full hunt at a birthday party, where a search for all 100 figures lasts 15 to 30 minutes, or a garden hunt at Easter. The rules for the full game are on our how to play page. If you are using the hunt as the main gift this year, our guide to screen-free gifts for kids in Europe pairs it with other ideas that ship fast from Portugal. An advent calendar gets recycled on December 25. This one just gets hidden again.