Advent Calendar Giveaway Ideas

Last updated 20 Oct 2026

An advent calendar giveaway opens one door a day from 1 December to 24 December. Behind each door is a small prize, a discount, a tip or, on some days, a bigger draw. It gives people a reason to come back every day during the busiest shopping month.

Twenty-four days is a lot of posts, so plan it in November. Decide which days have prizes, which have tips or behind-the-scenes posts, and which have the bigger draws. Announce the calendar about a week before 1 December so people can follow from the first door.

You don't need 24 big prizes. A mix of small daily doors and three or four bigger days keeps the cost under control, and people still have something to look forward to.

Working out the next date…

Dates

Advent calendar dates for 2026–2028, with the suggested launch and end of the giveaway
Year	Advent calendar	Launch by	Giveaway ends
2026	1–24 Dec	Tue 24 Nov	Thu 24 Dec
2027	1–24 Dec	Wed 24 Nov	Fri 24 Dec
2028	1–24 Dec	Fri 24 Nov	Sun 24 Dec

Giveaway ideas

A door a day with a countdown

Share a countdown to each day's door. When the door opens, post the prize and ask for a comment to enter. Entries close at midnight and the winner is drawn the next morning, then named in that day's post.

Prize idea: A small daily prize, such as a sample, a discount code or a digital download.

Small weekday doors, big weekend doors

Keep weekday doors light: tips, codes and small prizes. Save the bigger draws for the weekends, when people have more time to read and enter. Put the weekend prizes in the announcement so people know what is coming.

Prize idea: Codes and samples on weekdays; a gift set or gift card on each weekend.

This-or-that doors

On days without a prize, post a this-or-that question, such as hot chocolate or mulled cider. Every answer in the comments counts as an entry for the next big door, so the quiet days still build up to something.

Prize idea: Entries carry over into the next weekend draw.

Partner doors

Invite other local shops or creators to fill some of the doors. They post on their day too, so both audiences see the calendar. Agree up front who runs each draw and who sends the prize, and name every partner in the rules.

Prize idea: One prize from each partner on their door.

Giveaway picker

Captions for this event

Ready-made captions for the launch, the reminders and the winner post. Open the caption generator and pick the “Reminder” stage.

Questions and answers

When should an advent calendar giveaway start?

The doors open on 1 December and run to 24 December. Announce the calendar about a week before so people can follow from the first door.

How many prizes do I need?

One door a day, but not every door needs a physical prize. Discount codes, downloads, tips and three or four bigger draws keep it manageable.

Can I draw all the winners at the end?

You can, but daily draws give people a reason to come back. If you draw daily, name each winner in the next day's post. Use the giveaway picker and keep each proof link.

What about prizes that won't arrive before Christmas?

Say so in the rules. For the last doors, a gift card or a digital voucher avoids the delivery problem completely.

Should I run the doors on every platform?

Pick one main platform for the doors and the draws, so all the entries are in one place and easy to check. Use your other accounts to point people there. If that main platform is Facebook, ask for comments, not shares.

More dates to plan for

See the full giveaway calendar