It’s Not Too Late to Get the Best Advent Calendars This Year

Advent calendars are not only a fun way to stay engaged during the countdown to Christmas, but they also make a thoughtful gift for a loved one. Plus, since it’s already past December 1, many of the 24-day countdown calendars are on sale. Alternatively, you can opt for the 8- or 12-day option.

To find the best Advent calendars this year, we researched dozens of popular options in all categories, including beauty, food, and toys. Check out the best Advent calendars below for kids, adults, and all ages in between, from top brands like Lego, Charlotte Tilbury, and Laduree.

Food

Anyone with a sweet tooth will love this super adorable Advent calendar from Sugarfina. It comes with 12 drawers full of artisanal gummies and chocolates, including dark chocolate sea salt caramels, red apple gummies, peppermint bark cookies, and Gingerbread cuties. 

For the beer connoisseurs, the Give Them Beer Advent Calendar is the ideal way to go on a tasting journey before Christmas. This calendar includes 12 assorted cans of expertly curated craft beers from across the country, from IPAs to stouts. Gift this to your dad or husband, or keep it all to yourself as you enjoy a dozen cold ones this holiday season. It’s also available as an IPA Advent calendar. 

Wine may be a year-round drink, but a sip from the In Good Taste Mini Wine Advent Calendar will get you into the holiday spirit. The calendar comes with 12 mini bottles of premium wines sourced from the best regions in South Africa, Spain, Argentina, and Australia.

Each mini bottle has a 6-ounce pour, equivalent to a standard glass of wine. With a diverse selection of whites, reds, and rosé, this is one of the best Advent calendars to share with your significant other or as a gift for the sommelier or wine lover in your life.

Ladurée is renowned for its macarons, and its Advent calendar is just as much a treat with 24 days of gourmet chocolate pearls, candied fruits, caramel, jams, and other luxurious goodies. At the very end, you get a lovely decoration for your Christmas tree.

The Walker’s Shortbread Advent Calendar includes 24 cookies of six shortbread cookie varieties, including their iconic butter shortbread finger, as well as rounds, stars, hearts, chocolate chip, and salted caramel squares. Share them with your family or enjoy one yourself each night with a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate to feel the coziness of one of the best Advent calendars.

If you’re keen on cooking during the holidays (and not just on Christmas Day), the Vahdam 24 Spices of Christmas Advent Calendar is a must for your kitchen. This spice kit is packed with flavor and aroma, with spices that are handpicked from a farm in India and sealed at the source to retain freshness.

This calendar includes powdered and whole spices, such as turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, and clove, to name a few. Add one each day to a different recipe or combine a few to make a delicious homemade cup of chai. However you choose to use it, this calendar will become your favorite pantry essential well beyond Christmastime. 

Few things can beat that feeling of sipping on your morning cup of coffee during an icy winter morning. Indulge in that vibe every morning with The Yawn Brew Coffee Advent Calendar, and try a different coffee each day until Christmas Eve.

Choose from whole beans or ground and receive an array of expertly sourced coffees from around the world. Each coffee is packed in a sachet for freshness and amounts to one 10-ounce cup of coffee. If you really want to spoil the recipient (or yourself), add on a mug or French press to make this one of the best Advent calendars for any coffee lover.

You can never go wrong with morning toast and jam. Condiment lovers will especially appreciate the Bonne Maman 2024 Limited Edition Advent Calendar. Every day, you’ll get a mini spread made using traditional French recipes that include preserves, jellies, and honey. They’re all gluten-free and non-GMO, too. If it isn’t toast, they’ll make delicious toppings on yogurt, scones, oatmeal, and any other of your favorite foods as you taste your way through December. 

There’s really nothing better than a warm cup of coffee on a cold winter day, and this calendar from Onyx Coffee Lab will give you 24 days of coffee from all across the globe. You’ll get brewing instructions for each cup, with 2 ounces of coffee beans that can produce roughly 24 ounces of brewed coffee.

Beauty

With the Bloomingdale’s Advent calendar, you’ll smell like luxury every day of December and into the new year. Try a different scent for 12 days, with sample-sized perfumes (and one body cream) from brands such as Maison Margiela, Diptyque, and Armani. With notes like tuberrose, bamboo, oud, nutmeg, and more, your nose is in for a treat.

For those looking to revamp their makeup routine, this Charlotte Tilbury set offers all the essentials. It includes 12 doors filled with the brand’s iconic cosmetics—two full-sized and 10 minis—designed to keep you glowing all season. Just prepare for people to ask you what products you’re using at the holiday party.

This Christmas season, Olive and June is getting in on the Advent calendar fun with 8 mini-sized nail gifts to open as you count down to Christmas. The collection includes a variety of formulas, such as quick dry polishes and glossy top coats, as well as special edition shades and fun treats like a cuticle serum, nail files, and nail art stickers.

Beauty Advent calendars are some of the most popular Advent calendars. This one from e.l.f features 12 of the brand’s bestsellers and viral picks, and it comes at a much cheaper price than most (less than $50). Behind each little door you’ll find items like primers, makeup sponges, and tools, lip tints, and eye shadows, among others. 

Kids

National Geographic’s educational Advent calendars will transform anyone into an at-home archaeologist. The hands-on set lets you explore 24 polished gems from around the globe, including agate, tiger’s eye, black obsidian, and more. At the end, you get to dig out a rose quartz stone. The brand also makes one with rocks and minerals, and another with a different magic trick every day.

Marvel fans are guaranteed to appreciate this Lego Spider-Man Advent Calendar. Behind each of the 24 doors are accessories, mini builds inspired by the films, and minifigures of Spider-Man favorites, including Green Goblin, Venom, Miles Morales, and Spider-Man himself. If you’re more of a Disney princess fan, grab the Lego Disney Princess Advent Calendar, featuring mini dolls of Elsa, Tiana, Ariel, and Moana amongst minibuilds and fun accessories.

My Little Pony fans will have a blast opening this Advent calendar, with 25 gem-shaped doors revealing a variety of trinkets and toys. You can expect 16 small pony figures, nine little critters with unicorn horns, and six stickers. It makes for a cute experience during the holidays.  

If you want one Advent calendar for yourself and one for your young kids, the Mattel Kids’ Hot Wheels 2024 Advent Calendar will keep them busy and entertained all season long. Your kiddos will love the 24 surprises contained in this calendar, including classic Hot Wheels cars and winter-themed accessories like a Christmas tree and a snowman. Once Christmas rolls around, your kids will have all the pieces to race around a festive track or winter town. 

Children will love exploring Polly Pocket’s gingerbread house, which features 25 fun surprises throughout. From tiny gingerbread men to a miniature fireplace, this Advent calendar allows them to create their own festive fantasy leading up to the holidays.

Lifestyle

Looking to satisfy your travel bug from home? Luckily, this gorgeous Advent calendar from Bokksu delivers a taste of Japanese culture right to your doorstep. With 12 doors to explore, it features a variety of delicious chocolates or decorative holiday collectibles. Better yet, the lantern-inspired packaging is just as beautiful.

This Leatherology Advent Calendar is one of the most useful options on our list, since leather obviously never expires like food or beauty products do. Everything is made from Italian leather, and you can even deboss it for free to make it even more personalized. Behind the doors, you’ll find a luggage tag, hotel keychain, card case, drawstring pouch, lipstick holder, and more. All the products together are valued at $725, and you’ll get everything for $450.

How cute is this cookie cutter Advent calendar? Once you reach the end, you’re left with 24 stainless steel, enameled, and copper-plated cutters that you can use to bake a batch of assorted cookies on Christmas Day. Shapes include the Eiffel Tower, a dog bone, and more classic options like Santa, a gingerbread man, and a Christmas tree. Whether you use all of them at once or make an entire batch of snowflakes, you’ll love using these cookie cutters year after year.

Puzzles are a great family bonding activity, especially during the holidays. We love the Professor Puzzle Through the Window Advent Calendar because each day is a mini puzzle that will form a bigger puzzle at the end of the countdown. The end result is a snowy scene of different families in a cozy apartment building, celebrating the holidays with their own traditions.

For the book lovers, Christmas Is Coming! Advent Book Calendar is the best Advent calendar to get in the holiday spirit. The book cover has 24 flaps that, when opened, reveal a clue to a matching festive activity inside the book itself. The activities include recipes to create a homemade treat like Raspberry Hot Chocolate and singing Deck the Halls with your family. Each day counting down to Christmas will look different, filled with fun and creative ways to create family traditions you’ll love for years to come.

Take Our Word for It

This article was written by Nusrat Sultana, editor for Real Simple, and L. Daniela Alvarez, contributing writer with three years of experience writing lifestyle content and product reviews. Nusrat loves the novelty and experience that Advent calendars offer during the holidays and has tested many over the years. Her personal favorites are always the beauty ones.