Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

It's that time of year...you choose the ADVENT CALENDAR! (Patreon)

Published:
2025-09-07 11:32:36
Imported:
2026-10
Tags:

Content

The time of year has rolled around again...it feels EARLY but this is when we start thinking about it. We are gearing up to film the Watercolour Advent Calendar 2025 and we need your help!

Each year I ask my Patrons for their favourite images of Christmas to turn into the 24 festive tutorials to paint in the calendar throughout December. I would love to hear from you once again and I would particularly like to hear about international traditions as well as the more familiar (to me) traditions. If you've got a tradition that you think is really niche, I still want to hear about it!

*COMMENT BELOW WITH YOUR SUGGESTIONS!*

Please comment below with suggestions of what you would like to see painted and then all will be revealed day by day from the 1st December.

We will be selling the calendars and kits in my online shops soon (and I will make sure we are back selling to the USA too before we do). If this all feels extremely early, you're right, it is! But we have to make sure that people receive their calendars and kits in time for the 1st December.

Files

Comments

Kari

Lovely! Not strictly reserved for Christmas only, but would love to paint a gorgeous Dala Horse from Sweden 💛

Renata Witt

Hey Harriet! I am from Brazil (living in the UK). A very popular desert for Christmas is Mosaic Gelatine, fun and colourful perfect for an illustration! It’s also very popular to decorate the whole roasted turkey with egg yolks threads, slices of tinned pineapple and candied cherries. Hope to see Brazilian tradition featured in the calendar for the first time!! :)

Katherine

I love the miniature birds from the previous years. How about a miniature chickadee ? They are one of the few species that doesn't migrate in winter 🐦

Marcia McGrath

I painted that a couple of years ago on the advent calendar

de Winton Paper co.

Yes, but that doesn’t mean it can’t come back! We’re into our fifth year so we sometimes have repeats

Maria M

Yay! Always looking forward to this. I’m from Denmark, can’t remember if we have done risengrød or rice pudding with cinnamon and butter on top? But there are several traditional things connected to this: Many eat it on the 23rd of December in the evening and make an extra batch for the Christmas dessert/pudding which is Ris a la Mande a pudding made of rice porridge with whipped cream, vanilla and almonds and a warm cherry sauce on top. Further tradition is that you put a whole almond in the dessert and whoever finds the whole almond, wins the “almond gift” which often used to be a marzipan and chocolate pig with a bow around the belly. Now the prize can be all sorts of things. 🎄🍚🍒💫 can’t wait! 🎅🏼

Uli O'Connor

Just to chime in on ris a la Malta all the versions I encountered didn't have cherry sauce but orange slices instead so there are regional varieties. :)

Uli O'Connor

A st Lucia procession from Sweden for December 13th would be nice

Renata Witt

I shared some reference photos on Discord :)

Sophie

Not limited to Xmas but being from France :

Sophie

- a cheese board

Christie P

Elf on the Shelf; carolers; luminaries

Sophie

- a selection of chocolates

Betsi

A cat dressed up like an elf?

Jennifer Wrightington

All Victorian Christmas goodies and foods maybe? Or a coastal Holiday theme?

Valentina

In Italy it's custom to play board games over Christmas! With regards to foods that haven't been part of the calendar before, there are tortellini in brodo (tortellini served in clear broth), nougat, and cotechino e lenticchie (a cooked Salami served with lentils) 🥰

Sue

Me too!

Caterina B

In australia its summer we have a lovely Christmas bush plant (has small red flowers) or native Christmas bells flowers (they are a vibrant red and yellow hanging bell) if you are looking for ideas on different flowers to add.

Monica

A Christmas caroler, or songbook.

Dee

I’d love to learn how to paint light (either candlelight or lantern) with mistletoe or Christmas wreath wrapped around like a table centrepiece. I’m a beginner & I’m struggling with the softness that the light gives.

Jessica

Christmas cookies. I love the peanut butter ones with the Hershey kiss in the middle. There are so many fun ones. Chocolate no-bake cookies, crackle cookies, cookies with jam in the middle, and of course, the sugar cookies with decorated icing. Sometimes people do a cookie of the “leg lamp” from a classic American Christmas time movie. It’s a lamp with a leg wearing fishnets and heels. It’s become a symbol of that Christmas movie for Americans. ☺️

Laura Rumble

Bookmas is a thing now, how about a stack of books 📚 Could even go for writing Christmassy things on the spines? My grandparents always had a dish, plate or pot filled with Quality Street's. Would some jewel toned wrapped sweeties work?

Laura Rumble

And it's a bit meta but my favourite thing about Christmas is advent calendars but not sure how clearly that would translate to a mini painting.

Nicola Archbold

Oh my goodness I have been saving ideas since last year: Cookies & milk for Santa and a carrot for rudolf,Mistletoe, Carollers, Egg nog, Panettone, Christmas market stall, Christmas jumper, Brussels sprouts, Pigs in blankets, Yorkshire puddings, Nut roast, Paper crown, Woolly hat & scarf, Tinsel Chocolate advent calendar, Tin of roses and quality street, Postbox in the snow, cranberry sauce, Baileys on ice,Christmas chocolates, Gold, frankincense and myrrh

Carolyn Stiver

As a child I used to love laying on my back staring at the reflection on the ceiling of the lights on the tree. No idea if that image would work for the advent calendar, but…. Lights!

Louise

A French Canadian tradition is the réveillion where after midnight mass a feast is eaten with tourtière and ham and all the things. A bouche de Noèl would be a dessert (like a Yule log or Swiss roll) so how about that? Much prettier than a tourtière!

Lilias

If you want to keep up a Scottish theme after your retreats, you could do a clootie dumpling (spiced dumpling made with dried fruit, suet and spices) or some shortbread. Also candles in the window - I know we do a lot of candles reflections in a window might be nice.

Tarny

One of my special childhood memories was my brother and I sitting each side of the back seat of the car counting how many Christmas trees we could see in people's houses as we drove along, so I suppose I would translate that as the lovely sight of walking up a residential street surrounded by each houses Christmas lights and decorations 😍

Uta

A stall of a Christmas Market selling Christmas Decoration or toys,

Alex Tomeva

There is a Slavic tradition I really love. It’s sort of like caroling. In Bulgaria, we call the people who perform these songs koledari. The carolers traditionally start their rounds at midnight on Christmas Eve. They visit the houses of their relatives, neighbours and other people in the village. The caroling is usually performed by young men, who are accompanied by an elder one. Each caroler carries a wooden stick called gega. They wish health, wealth and happiness and then the people they wished it to give them a gevrek, a type of bread in a circular form. The time for this tradition is strictly defined - from midnight to dawn on Christmas Eve. It is believed that with singing, the koledari chase away evil spirits.

Beth

So excited for the Adventure calendar! cookies and milk for Santa yule log burning in fireplace…or stockings hung on a fireplace sled/ice skates (think skates have been done a few years ago)

Beth

A puppy or kitten with a Christmas bow! some characters from the Nutcracker ballet

Beth

could also illustrate lines from the poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” / “T’was the Night Before Christmas “ like “not a creature was stirring/ not even a mouse” or “the children were nestled/ all snug in their beds”

Berni

Thank you for welcoming our suggestions, Harriet! A Filipino tradition at Christmas is hanging a "parol," a star-shaped lantern in a window at home. The lanterns, representing the Star of Bethlehem, are made of capiz shell or paper, and are simple or colorful, but equally beautiful. In the olden days in the Philippines, the lanterns were lit with candles; now, they are commonly lit with LED mini-lights :).

Erin Berlin

Weve done a Schwibbogen, but we need to to a tiny Weichnachts Pyramide from Germany!

Carina 🌸

A dog with a Christmas 🎅 hat 🥰

Paula

Thanks Harriet! We lived in Vienna Austria for a while when my kids were young, we have such great memories of the Christkindl market and especially the huge variety of nutcrackers available. They are men now and still talk about the nutcrackers.

Melanie Davis

I agree with the Weihnachts pyramid and also the Christkindl Markt. For the calendar maybe just a single booth. But I would also love a tutorial where we painted a larger painting of the market with all the booths lit up at night. It’s so pretty. Also I would like another tutorial on painting lights on a Christmas tree. This time with more lights. Maybe this could work on the calendar?

Susan Hammitt

St Lucia crown worn in Sweden Dec 13th, or dutch clogs put out for treats.

Debra

A platter of homemade candies, my aunt always did this with a piles of each candy. My fave were the haystacks (melted butterscotch chips mixed with chowmein noodles), divinity, and fudge. Also Scandinavian sweaters, a Christmas Corgi dog w bow.

Debra

Yes, anything Scandinavian 🙂, including rosettes (a very delicate deep fried treat) that come in many shapes.

Anita Smith

I loved the nativity scene last year. So simple but so pretty.

Tracy Abraham

Have a look at Sinterklaas from The Netherlands. It’s similar to Christmas but not the same. Lots of traditions. He also brings chocolate letters for children and little spiced biscuits called pepernoten

Leah

Take a look at the O Antiphons...I remember seeing these symbols decorating church during Advent when I was young. Maybe some would be fun to paint!

BeeDub

A cult classic movie in our household is A Christmas Story and the iconic“leg lamp” would be funny; Any character from animated Christmas movies or stories - a mouse & a clock, Grinch, Island of Misfit toys, a couple of Carolers…; We also have tradition of making & eating Tamales (masa dough with either savory or sweet filling)

Stew Hall

Xmas just ain’t xmas in Australia without a nice cold dessert consisting of a trifle or a pavlova or both. I decorate my pav with whipped cream, fresh berries, and shaved chocolate

BeeDub

Yes the “Leg Lamp” 😁

Alison Gammon

I like the idea of chocolate letters and have we done Christingle oranges or advent rings before?

Alison Gammon

A little church in the snow at night with the window light up

Holly Geary Brooks

Ice skating at Rockefeller Center in NY is a big holiday tradition so maybe a couple ice skaters all bundled up…or just a pair of ice skates.

Dawn Williams

Christmas pajamas are a tradition of ours.

Jessica

Oh my gosh! You thought of the leg 🦵 lamp too! I love it!

Carole Edain Brulé

Maybe little scenes from the North Pole/Santa's workshop/village or vintage Christmas decorations from around the world? Different festive doors and/or windows. Looking forward to painting again this year! :-)

Becky Hesselman

Puppies in a store windows. Vintage bubble-lites.

Katie Zellonis Otto

We always do a Christmas brunch rather than the classic fancy dinner. Usually featuring homemade cinnamon rolls! Could be a fun twist to feature a holiday breakfast for one day

Heather Karstens

I had an image of a sleepy little mouse tucked into bed under a cozy quilt pop into my head when I read your suggestion.

Sharon Rowe

Dutch Tradition: Midwinterhorn and Mittwinterhorn, also known as the dewertshorn and adventshorn (Advent horn), is a wooden natural trumpet traditionally blown at the Christmas season in areas of the Netherlands and nearby parts of North Germany. 🤍

Dee R

Ribbon candy is old fashioned and hard to find where I live but it is a fav memory of my grandmother at Christmas.

Krithiga Gopalan

Please can you paint a boy on a sleigh pulled husky dogs with an aurora sky.

Michelle W.

A frosty window with Christmas lights and candle; nutcrackers; old fashioned bubble lights; glass mushroom ornaments; snowflakes; ugly Christmas sweaters; those little Christmas villages every grandma puts up on their side table; the silly reindeer antlers/nose on cars; cutting down you own Christmas tree; cat knocking off your glass ornaments and breaking them....

Kay Weetch

How about a Christmas Alphabet? I know it's 26 letters so more than an advent calendar, but perhaps extra on the 24th? I loved the flower alphabet so much!!!

CynthiaJQ

The three Kings bearing gifts!

Melanie Davis

Yes, I would love the three kings as well!

Ivana

No christmas period is complete for us, if not visiting a christmas market in Germany. Those christmas stall with al the decoration… love it 😍

Leah

Hi Marjorie, they are from the text of O Come O Come Emmanuel hymn. O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Wisdom, O Morning Star, etc.

Susann

Christmas traditions here in the Ore Mountains include miners' parades in traditional costumes and the meal known as ‘Neunerlei’ (nine different dishes with symbolic meanings). Perhaps this could be something for the advent calendar. We already painted a Schwibbbogen (candle arch) as part of the wooden decoration :-) .

Heather Karstens

A tall ship with masts and sails from the Christmas carol “I Saw Three Ships.” Brass instruments. I love some of the ideas others have suggested like the vintage bubble lights, candle in a frosted window or lantern, among others.

Alison Keeports

Christmons, Nutcracker, 12 days of Christmas, Christmas carol. I grew up in a small town named Glen Rock,PA, USA. After the Christmas Eve service, the Caroler’s ( a group about 50 men dressed in long capes and top hats) walk the street singing old English Carols until dawn. Many of the towns people would open their homes to the carolers and people who followed them giving them drinks and sustenance. https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/2019/12/19/glen-rock-carolers-continue-their-172-year-old-tradition/2700922001/

Beth Hildebrand

We hang a Christmas pickle on our tree every year. Tradition we started when our kids were little.

Tracy

How about some mushrooms Nordic culture uses mushrooms in holiday deco

Joana Barros

Some vintage symbols of Christmas!