An advent calendar challenge swaps the chocolate behind each door for something small you do that day. Twenty-four days is short enough to finish, it ends on Christmas Eve, and by then a few of the habits will have stuck. Here’s a ready-made list, a version for couples and one for runners, and a calendar to print.
How it works
- Pick 24 small things, one for each day from December 1 to 24. Most should take under 15 minutes: December is busy, and the challenge only works if the hard days are still doable.
- Write them on a calendar before December 1. Deciding on the day is where challenges die. Swap anything you dislike now, not when you’re tired.
- Tick each day off. If you miss one, do it the next day alongside that day’s habit, then carry on.
- Put a reward on days 7, 14, 21 and 24 (three Mondays and Christmas Eve in 2026). Small ones, so they feel earned.
Download the free printable advent habit calendar (PDF): December 2026 starts on a Tuesday, the 24 habits below are filled in, the reward days are marked in gold, and there’s room for your swaps.
24 advent challenge ideas (the printable’s list)
- Drink 8 glasses of water
- Take a 10-minute walk outside
- Write 3 things you’re grateful for
- Keep your phone out of the bedroom tonight
- Declutter one drawer
- Cook a new recipe
- Text a friend you miss (reward day)
- Stretch for 10 minutes
- Read 10 pages
- No social media before noon
- Get into bed 30 minutes earlier
- Do something kind for a neighbour
- Plan next week’s meals
- Walk 10,000 steps (reward day)
- Write a thank-you note
- Have a no-spend day
- Take 5 minutes of slow breathing
- Unsubscribe from 10 emails
- Donate something you don’t use
- Call someone in your family
- Get outside in daylight: it’s the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere (reward day)
- Write down one goal for 2027
- Have a screen-free evening
- Write down your best moment of 2026 (Christmas Eve, reward day)
Want treats instead of tasks?
A self-care advent calendar flips it around: you keep one habit every day and open a small treat for each day you do. Our self-care advent calendar has a printable for that, with 60 treat ideas.
Advent calendar challenge for couples
Make each day something you do together, and take turns choosing: a walk after dinner, cooking a meal from a country neither of you has visited, a phone-free dinner, writing each other a note, a board game, planning one trip for 2027, a photo from every day of the challenge, a dance in the kitchen, a joint declutter of one cupboard, watching the film one of you loved as a kid. Put the reward days on dates you’re both free.
Running advent challenge
A common running version: run the date in minutes. One minute on December 1, two on December 2, up to 24 minutes on Christmas Eve, 300 minutes in all. The early days are easy enough that a beginner can start, and the last week asks for about 20 minutes a day. If you’d rather run every day for longer, the holiday run streak (at least a mile a day from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, 37 days in 2026) is the classic, and it overlaps this challenge from December 1 to 24.
Rewards that fit the challenge
The reward days work best when the reward matches the size of the week: a nice coffee on day 7, a new book on day 14, an evening of whatever you like on day 21, and something you’ve wanted for a while on Christmas Eve. Need ideas? See ways to reward yourself and, for a whole month of bigger challenges, December challenge ideas.
Track it on your phone
On paper, the printable is all you need. On your phone, Habit Rewards does the counting and the rewards. Add “Advent challenge” as a daily habit with a reminder, check it off when the day’s habit is done, and put your four rewards on your reward list with a coin price. Each check-off earns coins by how hard you rate the habit (1, 4, 8 or 16), so the Christmas Eve reward is something you can watch getting closer. When the challenge ends, keep the two or three habits you liked as their own daily habits for January.
FAQ
What is an advent calendar challenge? A 24-day challenge from December 1 to Christmas Eve where each day has one small task instead of (or as well as) a chocolate.
When does the advent challenge start in 2026? Tuesday, December 1, 2026, and it ends on Thursday, December 24.
What if I miss a day? Do it the next day along with that day’s habit, then carry on. Two misses in a row is when a challenge usually stops, so the next day is the one that matters.
Can I start late? Yes. Start on the day you find this and do the remaining days; or start on any date and run 24 days from there.
Try Habit Rewards: the habit tracker that rewards you
Every habit you check off earns you coins. Put a coin price on the treats you want and claim them once you've earned them. Free for three habits, on iPhone and Android.
On a computer? Scan it with your phone to open the App Store or Google Play.
Using Notion?
Start with our free Notion habit tracker and formulas, or get the aesthetic Notion Habit Tracker template with heatmaps and streaks.
More articles you may be interested in:
- Free Notion Habit Tracker Templates (and How to Build Your Own)
- Trigger, Behavior, Reward: The Habit Loop Explained With Examples
- Holiday Run Streak 2026: Rules, Dates and a 37-Day Tracker
- Rewards for Achieving Goals: 80 Ideas, Sized to the Goal
- How to Reward Yourself Without Spending Money (and for Saving It)
- Non-Food Rewards for Adults: 75 Ideas (and How to Stop Rewarding Yourself with Food)
Rather track it on your phone? In Habit Rewards every check-off earns coins, and you spend them on rewards you set yourself. Free on iPhone and Android for up to 3 habits.
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