Christmas Calendar Daily Puzzle

Celebrate the countdown to Christmas with a unique twist—a handcrafted six-piece puzzle that doubles as a festive advent calendar! Designed in the shape of a charming Christmas tree, this puzzle covers a 6x4 grid of dates from December 1st to 24th, with one clever detail: a single 1x1 blank square that reveals the current day as you solve and rearrange the pieces.

This project isn't just about puzzles and dates—there’s also a special spot built into the tree to hold a small, relaxing candle, adding a warm, cozy glow to your holiday traditions. Whether you’re crafting this for yourself or gifting it to a loved one, this puzzle advent calendar is a delightful blend of creativity, mindfulness, and holiday spirit.

In this Instructable, you'll learn step-by-step how to construct your Christmas calendar puzzle and you only need a laser cutter to do so

2 pieces of beech wood 150x200x4mm (or any other kind of wood)

lasercutter

sandpaper

wood glue

Click on the image with the dates above and use the download button in the lower left to get the full resolution version. This should be engraved on your first layer. Then use the attached layer1-cut. svg to cut it.

Next take your other piece of wood and use the attached layer2-cut.svg on it.

Glue both layers together.

Throw away the little 1x1 square, sand away the brown edges on the puzzle pieces and you're ready.

Note for scale I made the width of the tree slightly less than 150mm, so set the images and the svg size such that the width is 150 mm and the 39 mm candle should fit.

Now every day, light the candle (to prevent you from stressing out while solving the puzzle) and arrange the pieces so the correct date is shown. Enjoy your holidays!