Published · Written by the Flipr editorial team
Most advent calendar books sit in a box in the attic from January to November. 24 short stories about children you don't know, in a city you've never visited. The book is read once, maybe twice, and then forgotten until next year. There is another way to do it.
A personalized story advent calendar consists of 24 daily tales where your own child is the main character. Instead of a pre-printed book featuring strangers, you create a new story every day in the same universe, with the same characters — making December one continuous Christmas journey leading up to the 24th.
A pre-printed advent calendar book has the same 24 stories every year, with the same children in the lead roles. They are fine as a one-time experience, but they don't build on anything. Day 1 and day 24 aren't connected, other than both taking place in December. There is no recognition, nothing that grows along the way.
Imagine instead 24 stories where your own child, your family, and perhaps your pets are included every single day. Not 24 disconnected tales, but a story that builds upon itself day by day, featuring the same characters you already know from your other Flipr stories throughout the rest of the year.
This means that December doesn't just become 24 random stories. It becomes a little Christmas journey where your child is the same hero from day 1 to day 24, and where yesterday's story can connect to today's new one.
You simply write what today's theme should be about — an elf who got lost, a missing package, the first snow — and Flipr creates the story with images and narration in under 2 minutes. No advance planning necessary. You can do it spontaneously the same evening. If you haven't created the family yet, you can follow the guide on how to create your family avatars.
If the story is to be a regular part of the evening, you can use our guide to a calm bedtime routine. And if you need inspiration to phrase today's theme, our guide to a good bedtime story prompt will help.
Recognition is the whole point. When a child hears their own name, their own family, and their own pet in the story, they listen with a different level of attention. We have written more about why children love hearing their own name in a story — and this is especially true in December when anticipation is already high.
Not a book that goes back into a box in the attic, but 24 moments where your child has seen themselves, their family, and perhaps the dog participate in this year's lead-up to Christmas. Those are the kinds of stories people talk about again next December — not because the book was out, but because it was actually about you.
Both work. Some families want a continuous Christmas journey, others prefer 24 independent little stories. You decide for yourselves, day by day.
Yes, but the stories naturally become different every year because your child has grown older and because you can choose new themes. The universe, family, and characters remain the same — the stories evolve with you.
You buy an advent calendar book once and use it again every year. A Flipr advent calendar gives you 24 new, personalized stories, and the same characters can be used again the rest of the year, not just in December.
Under 2 minutes. You write today's theme, and Flipr creates the story with images and narration — so you can do it spontaneously the same evening.