Yayadvent and Yayswap 2026

YAYADVENT AND YAYSWAP RETURN FOR 2026!

Yayadvent:

Bored of getting the same old chocolate day after day in your advent calendar? yayadvent alleviates the tedium by curating a unique advent calendar created by you! Gather together 24 (or 25 if you're feeling generous) small, fun gifts, and we'll match you up with a partner to exchange with - so you'll get 24 individual, exciting presents to open for each day of Advent.

Yayswap:

In memory of our dear friend Liz, an ornament swap for the festive season. It works in the same way as yayadvent, but instead of exchanging an advent parcel, you exchange a single christmas ornament, making it more accessible for those without time for a full yayadvent. To reflect Liz's love of crafting and handmade gifts we encourage handmade, but it's not a requisite!

More Info:

When you sign up for either (or both!) yayadvent or yayswap, you'll be assigned a partner over email, so you can get to know their preferences and tell them yours - you can also talk with them and everyone else on our dedicated safe, friendly, private Discord platform. You can then arrange a handover at your own convenience or exchange addresses for postal swaps - no middle man! Please be sensible and keep safe when arranging your handovers, and if you're sending your yayadvent or yayswap through the mail remember to take postage costs into account when choosing your gifts or making/buying your ornament!

Due to worldwide postage issues we'll only be pairing people in the same country this year, but we will contact you if there's any issues. If you don't see your country listed then we don't currently have a swap set up for it, but please do get in touch and we'll try to arrange something. Please note that available swaps are dependent on people signing up, and we'll reach out if we don't have enough people to make it work.

Join in the fun on social media by posting your gifts each day using the #yayadvent hashtag, and see what everyone else has been unwrapping! Join us on our Yayadvent Discord for chat and festive surprises!

~~Each #yayadvent should be around £25 ($40) in total unless otherwise agreed between you and your partner, and please choose varied gifts for your recipent. Think stocking fillers and lucky dip prizes- the more fun the better! Handmade items are allowed and encouraged! Each gift needs to be wrapped and marked with the day it should be opened. If you're stuck for gift ideas check out the #yayadvent hashtag on social media for previous years or take a look at our gallery on our website. Please take into account postal timings and make sure you give yourself lots of leeway in sending it off so nobody is disappointed by late post, and remember to tell us you've posted your parcel and received one so we have time to try and sort any issues out if they arise!

Yayswap has no monetary guidelines due to the handmade aspect and spirit of giving but please stay within your own comfort level of spending, and again, don't forget postal costs and timing when choosing your ornament!