How to Send a Digital Advent Calendar on WhatsApp

The family lives all over the place. Your best friend is abroad. And a parcel would not arrive before 3 December anyway. A physical advent calendar is not always practical.

A digital advent calendar takes a few minutes to make. It is a small web page with its own link, and you simply send that link on WhatsApp. Every door hides a message, a video or a riddle. A new one opens each morning.

WhatsApp is a good fit for this. About a third of U.S. adults now use it, according to Pew Research Center, and in many families it is where the group chat lives. Below you will find the steps, ideas for the doors and tips for busy group chats.

How to make an advent calendar and share it on WhatsApp

All you need is a phone or a computer. Recipients need nothing but the link.

• 1. Pick a design. On the home page, click "Create Your Free Calendar" and choose a style, such as snowy, cozy or one with dogs. The template gallery shows every design up front.
• 2. Give it a name. The name also shows in the WhatsApp preview, so "Advent calendar for Grandma Jean" beats "Test 1".
• 3. Create an account. An email and a password save the calendar, so you can keep editing it right up to Christmas.
• 4. Fill the first doors. You do not have to fill all 24 at once. Having the first few days ready is enough, and you can add the rest during December. Recipients only ever see doors that are already open.
• 5. Share the link. Copy the link and send it on WhatsApp. In a group, pin the message so everyone can find the calendar again every day.

The whole thing takes about five minutes. The calendar runs from 1 to 24 December. Each door unlocks at midnight.

What to put behind the doors

Since nothing needs wrapping, the content can be small and personal. These work well:

• Messages: one line on why you like the person, a quote, an inside joke, a memory of a moment you shared.
• Videos: a greeting you recorded yourself on YouTube (an unlisted video works), a favorite song, a film trailer, a Christmas classic.
• Riddles and quizzes: one question a day, with the answer in the next door. In family groups this gets a surprising number of replies.
• Small tasks: "Call someone you have not spoken to in ages", "Bake something and post a photo in the group".
• Announcements: "Mulled wine at ours on Saturday", "A parcel arrives tonight, do not open it yet".

A video of your own does not have to be public. Set it to "unlisted" on YouTube, and only people with the link can watch it. The YouTube Help Center explains how.

For more fillers without chocolate, see our 13 ideas for an advent calendar without chocolate.

Tips for WhatsApp groups

Family groups get busy in December. A few tricks keep the link from scrolling out of sight.

• Pin the message. A pinned link stays visible at the top of the chat. In groups, admins decide whether everyone can pin or only admins.
• Add the link to the group description. Anyone who joins later finds the calendar straight away.
• Pick a reminder person. A quick "door 7 is open" in the morning keeps the group going. It helps most in the second week.
• Make it interactive. Riddles and tasks people answer in the group turn the calendar into a shared game.

For teams and companies too

The same idea works at work. One calendar for the department can be shared in Teams, Slack or the intranet. Premium adds your logo, brand colors, images, coupon codes and stats on how often each door was opened.

More on our page about the digital advent calendar for employees. For background on office traditions, see our workplace Christmas statistics.

Frequently asked questions

Can you send an advent calendar on WhatsApp?

Yes. A digital advent calendar is a web page with its own link. You send the link on WhatsApp to one person or a group, and they open one door a day in their browser.

Is a digital advent calendar free?

With us, one calendar is free, with text and YouTube videos behind the doors. Your own photos, coupon codes, a custom date range and your logo are part of Premium, which is aimed at companies and organizations.

Can people open the doors early?

No. Each door opens on its day and stays visibly locked before that. Tapping door 20 on 3 December only shows a lock.

Do recipients need an app?

No. The calendar runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers. Only the person who makes it needs an account.

Does it work with Messenger, Signal or email too?

Yes. The link works anywhere you can share a link: Messenger, Signal, Telegram, text message, email, or as a QR code on a card.