🎁 Using the H5P Advent Calendar for More Than Just Christmas
So this isn’t really an advent calendar — not in the traditional sense anyway. I mean, yes, I used the H5P Advent Calendar module on WordPress, but not to count down to Christmas. Instead, I tried bending it into something more useful for me: a simple interactive display.
In this case, it was about the Brazilian soccer team. Each door on the calendar became a box I could fill with something different — a photo, a short player bio, even a YouTube video. Some doors opened to show a team photo, others showed a player’s profile or linked out to a website. One even autoplayed a video highlight.
Not bad for a module originally meant for daily chocolates.
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🧩 Here’s how it went
You’re stuck with 24 boxes. The module won’t let you add more, and weirdly, if you try to delete some — like, say, use only 10 boxes — the whole thing just breaks. Doesn’t load at all. It’s still in beta, so fair enough, but worth knowing before you start.
So I kept all 24. Just left the ones I wasn’t using with a message that says, “Nothing to see here.”
Each box lets you upload a square image as the “cover” — and yeah, square is key. If your image isn’t a 1:1 ratio, it gets weirdly cropped and looks off-center. I learned that the hard way. Same deal for background images (the image behind the open door).
What can you add per door?
• 🖼️ Image
• 📝 Text
• 🎧 Audio
• 🎥 Video
• 🔗 Link
But only one content type per box — no combos.
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⚠️ Not everything is perfect
Here are a few things that felt off or needed tweaking:
- 🟢 The little door knobs looked clunky → hid them
- 🔢 The numbering (1–24) wasn’t useful → turned it off
- 🟥 The default calendar background was bright red → swapped it for white
- ❄️ There’s a snow effect → skipped that
- 🛠️ The “design mode” must stay on — otherwise doors stay locked until December
And a reminder: if your image isn’t square, expect some… weirdness.
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💡 Surprisingly flexible
I honestly didn’t expect much from this module. It’s quirky and a bit dated, but once you figure out the limitations and work around them, it actually turns out pretty useful.
Here’s what I ended up with:
- 🧍 Click a box → see a player’s photo
- 📄 Read their bio and career details
- ▶️ Watch a highlight video
- 🌐 Visit an external site for more info
It works on both desktop and mobile. The scroll bar pops up when there’s too much content, and links/video embeds are all functional. All I did was copy the shortcode into a WordPress post using the Shortcode block — no extra plugins.
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🛠️ What you could use it for
If you’re creative, this could become more than a calendar. Think:
- 👨🏫 “Meet the Students” roster
- 🏆 A showcase of team members or employees
- 🎮 Mini scavenger hunts or trivia games
- 📚 Book-of-the-day for a class or club
Just… don’t delete the boxes. Keep all 24, even if some say “Nothing to see here.”
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✅ Final thoughts
It’s a little buggy and a bit forgotten by its developer, but it does what it promises — especially if you think outside the box (literally).
For what it’s worth, I enjoyed repurposing it. It’s not flashy, and you won’t be building complex quizzes or interactive timelines with it. But for something that feels different and lets you surprise users with hidden content, it’s kind of fun.
📢 Want more interactive content tutorials?
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Got questions or creative ways you’re using H5P? Drop them in the comments—I’d love to hear what you’re building!
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