Advent calendar boxes maker
Advent calendar box template
Twenty-four small reverse tuck boxes, one for each day, with the number cut through the front like a stencil. Set the size once and the whole set follows.
How to fold it
Print the sheets at 100%, in order, so day 1 comes off the top of the pile.
Cut out each box, then its number slots with a craft knife. Leave the small bridges uncut: they hold the center of 0, 4, 6, 8 and 9 in place.
Score each dashed line with a ruler as a guide, the tuck and dust flaps included, and fold it once.
Bring the sides round to make a small tube, then fix the grey tab inside the far wall with a dab of glue.
Close the bottom with its dust flaps first, then the lid, and tuck the lid's flap inside the wall.
Fill each box with a treat, close the top the same way and line the set up from 1 to 24.
How the template is drawn
Stencil digits
Each day is a set of slots, one for each lit segment of a seven-segment display. The digits stand 17.3 mm (0.68 in) tall: 45% of the box height at most, and two digits never fill more than 75% of the front.
Bridges in 0, 4, 6, 8 and 9
The center of these digits is a loose piece of card. Thin bridges keep it attached, so the number cuts out cleanly and the card stays whole.
A treat shows through
The cut numbers are windows, so whatever sits behind the front shows through each slot. A sweet or a bead tucked in before the box closes adds color to the number.
Tuck flaps
Each tuck flap is 19.2 mm (0.75 in) deep and trimmed 0.8 mm (0.03 in) at each side, so it slides past the walls and under the lid.
Dust flaps and glue
The dust flaps reach 17.3 mm (0.68 in) under the lid, and the glue tab is 15 mm (0.59 in) wide.
Sheets for the set
At 4 a sheet the 24 boxes take 6 sheets. Sheet 1 holds days 1 to 4, the next sheet the days after, so the pile is already in order.
Shelves, trays and ribbons
Line the boxes up on a shelf in day order, or drop them into a tray: an open box with lid makes a good tray for the whole set. Hang them from a ribbon, one peg per day, so the numbers face the room.
Add a bigger gift in a sliding drawer box for the last day, a pillow box for a handful of sweets, or a cube for a small toy. A tuck end box is the same closure made at any size you choose.
