While the big day is still weeks off, now is the time to plan ahead and spread the cost of Christmas by securing things like advent calendars as soon as they go on sale.
We’re not just talking about the chocolate-packed versions we coveted in childhood: today’s advents aren’t just for kids.
There are more options than could ever fit in St. Nick’s sack here, from bountiful boxes of beauty to cardboard carriers stuffed with booze. They follow the same concept as traditional advents, only with daily treats for an 18+ audience tucked away inside. As for the giddy excitement of clawing open a fresh window every December day until Christmas, that remains the same, no matter how many times you’ve been around the sun.
Advent calendars were once a nice pre-Christmas extra, but as the years roll on and incredible new ideas launch, they have become a must-have present to enjoy until December 25 dawns.
There are options to answer to every taste, every budget and every fancy, plus a few curveballs that will make you, or the person you’re buying one for, beam with joy. Pre-orders start as early as August and the most coveted advents can sell out weeks before December 1, so if you see something that would make your Christmas, don’t mull it over for too long.
To show you what’s out there for Christmas 2024, we’ve collected the weirdest, wildest and downright wonderful advent calendars that promise to make the season shine brighter than before.
Shop now
Fortnum's Chocolate Truffle Selection Advent Calendar, 250g
There's bound to be a chocolate-lover on your Christmas list that deserves a special treat. Give them a taste of the finer things with Fortnums' chocolate truffle selection advent calendar, packed with tastebud-igniting flavours: think Milk chocolate sea salted caramel truffles, Milk chocolate Marc de Champagne truffles and milk chocolate maple flavour and pecan praline truffles. Outrageously indulgent.
Was: £38
Buy now £28.50, F&M
Papier Advent Calendar 2024
After the success of Papier's 2023 advent calendar, the premium stationery brand is back with a fresh rendition for the upcoming season. This 24 selection of desk delights comes beautifully wrapped in a bureau-style case with surprises including to-do notes, pens and pencils, erasers, thank you notes, a mini week calendar, washi tape and more, all in Papier's playful contemporary aesthetic.
Buy now £140.00, Papier
ICONIC London Advent Bag
The trouble with advent calendars is that we adore the box right up until the moment we chuck it onto the recycling heap. No such fate awaits ICONIC London's options this year: both the 12-day and 24-day advent comes in a plush bag that we can see ourselves using well into the new year - and beyond.
The bag is packed with full-sized products of some of the brand's bestsellers: think Prep-Set-Glow Spray and Triple Threat Mascara. One for those on the nice list.
Buy now £250.00, ICONIC London
Jo Loves Advent Calendar
Release date: Available now
From the Jo Malone founder comes the always eagerly anticipated Jo Loves advent that is one of the most expansive fragrance offerings on the market. The limited-edition calendar is designed like a house of cards and can work as a makeshift Christmas tree if you’re looking to forgo the heavy pine clear up. It comes in the brand’s seasonally-apt hues of red with gold detailing.
There are six full-sized products in the 25-strong offering including the Orange Butterflies Fragrance Paintbrush and Seville Orange & Neroli Hand Sanitiser & Hand Lotion. You’ll also find four candles, a fragrance voucher and two new scents; Golden Garden Fragrance and Smoked Plum & Leather Fragrance.
Buy now £375.00, Jo Loves
Crisp Advent Calendar 2024
Ready to celebrate Crispmas? Do it in style with Pringles' 12-day countdown. Ideal for snack fans, flavours include original, salt & vinegar, sour cream & onion, and BBQ. Enjoy them now or save them for lunchboxes and long journeys in 2025.
Buy now £26.99, Amazon
MELT Chocolate Notting Hill Advent Calendar 220g
The sweetest advent championing one of London's most iconic areas, Melt London pays homage to Notting Hill with one of its 2024 advent calendars.
The design’s outer leaves swing open to reveal 24 colourful house-shaped bags, each containing a confection of either gourmet or organic chocolate, or bite-sized Pate de Fruit.
The perfect calendar for big London kids.
Buy now £81.00, Harvey Nichols
Daylesford Organic Farmshop Christmas Advent Calendar
Eat, drink and be merry is December's mission and achieve it you shall thanks to Daylesford Organic's new advent calendar.
Festooned in charming illustrations by Italian artist Nina Fuga, the 25-door calendar is packed with treats plucked straight from farm shop shelves. Expect luxe versions of larder essentials, sweet homewares pieces and bits from the bath and body ranges for a moment of well-earned self-indulgence.
Buy now £250.00, Daylesford Organic
Amorana 24-Day Premium Couple's Advent Calendar 2024
With December 1 now tantalisingly close, why not countdown to the big day with an XXXmas calendar?
This one from Lovehoney is currently 59 per cent off and holds 24 surprises from luxury lingerie, sex toys and bedroom accessories. Altogether the value of the contents total £860, far outstripping the RRP of the calendar - and with the Black Friday discount, it really is a no-brainer!
Shop the full lineup of sex toy advent calendars at Lovehoney here.
Buy now, Lovehoney
John Lewis Fizz Advent Calendar, 24 x 20cl
How fitting to enjoy a sparkling serve in the glittering season. From John Lewis comes this calendar fizzing with Prosecco and sparkling wines with 24 mini bottles (each measures 20cl) to crack open every night until December 25.
Amongst the bubbles you'll find a bottle of Champagne to enjoy too. Hic-hic hooray!
Buy now £145.00, John Lewis
Craft Gin Club Advent Calendar 2024
Craft Gin Club is back to make this festive season your merriest yet with its stupendously popular advent calendar featuring a jolly line-up of 25 mini gins, each measuring a better-than-average 50ml.
Picked from master distilleries across the UK and beyond, expect classic London Dry and flavoured varieties alongside recipe and garnish ideas.
One of the most popular gin calendars around, this compilation sells out every year. The good news? Pre-orders are open now, so there’s not a moment to lose.
Buy now £89.99, Craft Gin Club
Star Wars Original Stormtrooper Beer Advent Calendar
If your guy is a beer-loving Star Wars geek, use Christmas as a chance to unite two of his obsessions in one advent calendar. This themed box comes packed with cans of Star Wars-themed IPA beer and ale as well as snacks and a Stormtrooper glass.
Buy now £44.00, Menkind
Sockshop 25 pair Christmas Advent Calendar - men
Socks are always a useful gift, and festive designs add to the joy of the season.
Sockshop’s 25-day calendar comes in three designs for men (pictured), women and couples to enjoy together. Secured with a festive ribbon, the box barely needs any additional gift-wrapping but if you decide to go the extra mile, the square shape will make it all the easier.
Plus, 10 per cent of advent calendar sales will go to SOCKSHOP’s partner charity Emmaus, meaning you can spread goodwill through your purchase.
Buy now £59.99, Sockshop
The Netflix Advent Calendar
Christmas: a time to eat, drink and sink into boxset marathons. This year, Netflix is making being sofa-bound all the more appealing with its advent calendar, full of 24 exclusive collectables from the streaming service's hit shows. Inside the book-style design, you'll find memorabilia from Bridgerton, Squid Game, Stranger Things, The Witcher and more. One for fans of the small screen.
Buy now £94.00, Menkind
Aman Essentials' Advent Calendar
Coveted hotel group Aman has released its own advent calendar this year, so if you can't get to one of their 35 sublime properties around the world, you can at least make the run-up to Christmas feel like you're there.
The Japanese notion of meaningful gifting inspires the 25-door calendar; indeed, each gift offers the recipient a moment of calm in what can be a chaotic period. Contents include gold eye masks, skincare, pulse point remedies and more.
Self-care on a luxe scale.
Buy now £559.00, Aman
Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2024 Building Toy Set
No matter your age, Lego never gets old. There’s something strangely Christmassy about Star Wars, and this miniature-filled Lego advent calendar is sure to delight adults and children alike during the festive countdown.
Buy now £23.00, Argos
Haynes Electronic Games Advent Calendar
Perfect for the young (and young at heart), this calendar reveals components every December day until the 25th until you have everything you need to build 24 different games like Code Breaker, Whack a Mole and Wire Maze. Requires three AA batteries, not included.
Buy now £25.00, MenKind
Pinball Machine Advent Calendar
Whether you want to spend quality time with your kids or you like the idea of a slow build to enjoy on Christmas Day this pinball machine-making kit hits all the right notes. Every day you’ll find a new set of instructions until you’re left with a mini pinball machine to play on the 25th. The kit is easy to assemble and uses no glue in its making, so can easily be broken down and recycled when the time comes. Glass marbles are included in the set so you can start playing as soon as the machine is made.
Buy now £24.99, Amazon
The Naked Marshmallow Company Gourmet Marshmallow Advent Calendar
We know it’s the season for chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but they’re not to everyone’s taste. Know what everyone loves though? A gooey-in-the-middle toasted marshmallow.
Indulge with a gourmet marshmallow advent calendar that will dispense 25 sweet bites every day until December 25. Flavours include candy floss, s’mores, cinnamon churro and curiously, fizzy watermelon and bubblegum. Whether you wish to toast first thing in the morning or as a nightly dessert is up to you.
Buy now £25.00, Prezzybox
Artisan Coffee Co. Coffee Advent Calendar 2024-6
Bring Christmas cheer to December mornings with Artisan Coffee Co.’s advent calendar, which comes in three versions: bag (£28.99), pod (£26.99) and ultimate pod which has 48 portions as opposed to the formers 24.
Filled with coffee bags, this calendar has 24 varieties to unfold and enjoy throughout the festive season.
Buy now £28.99, Amazon
Volcano Coffee Works Christmas Coffee & Chocolate Calendar
Treat yourself to some of the best small luxuries: coffee and chocolate. Volcano's advent calendar has both in generous portions with beans coming from across the globe. They're paired with delicious bars of Love Cocoa in perfectly matched flavours - think salted caramel, honeycomb milk chocolate and sea salt dark chocolate.
Buy now £55.00, Volcano Coffee Works
Christmas Die Hard Advent Calendar
It's just not Christmas without at least one viewing of vintage Bruce Willis screaming "Yippee Ki‐Yay" at some bad guys. Movie buffs will chuckle at this Die Hard-themed calendar, which bears no gifts except for Hans Gruber getting his just desserts.
You'll countdown from December 1 at the top of Nakatomi Plaza down to Christmas Day on the pavement below, moving Hans every day.
Buy now £9.99, Amazon
Contact Coffee Co 2024 Ground Coffee Advent Calendar
Father Christmas may be mostly magic, but have you ever wondered how he got those chimney-scaling skills? Contact Coffee Co suggests the present-giver may have had a past in the Royal Marines going by its advent calendar packaging.
Tear past soldier Santa to find 25 sachets of expertly grounded coffee inside hailing from some of the world's best coffee-growing regions, ready to supercharge the days leading up to Christmas.
Buy now £30.00, Contact Coffee Co
Whittard of Chelsea Loose Leaf Tea Advent Calendar For Two
Tea-imbibing couples will savour the chance to get stuck into this luxury tea advent calendar from Whittard of Chelsea. Fold back the box's upper leaves to find 24 numbered draws holding loose-leaf tea selections, each one offering a moment of calm and quiet in the midst of festive plan-making.
Buy now £80.00, Whittard of Chelsea
She Grows Veg advent calendar
Green-fingered friends will adore this wholesome calendar from She Grows Veg. It parcels up 25 heirloom seeds in jolly striped numbered bags to discover every day until the big one. Helpfully, each packet bears a QR code on the reverse that links to sow and grow how-tos, so you’ll know how to get the best from your bounty.
A sweet idea that supports a small business.
Buy now £65.00, She Grows Veg
Pure Pet Feliz Navidog Advent Calendar
For an end-of-year treat your four-legged friend will love, an advent calendar stuffed with dog treats is bound to get tails wagging. Pure Pet has launched a version stuffed with 24 turkey and cranberry bites while the box can be personalised with their name too.
Buy now £7.99, Pure Pet
Fortnum's Dog Advent Calendar
Advent calendars are for all the family - pets included. Fortnums is giving man’s best friend the finest pre-Crimbo treat with this specially designed wooden calendar, filled with suitably luxe treats.
Buy now £120.00, Fortnum's
Pooch & Mutt Cheese Fondue Dog Advent Calendar
For owners who pay their doggos cheese tax all year round, Christmas is the time you can really push the boat out. This calendar, ideal for all breeds and puppies over 12 weeks old, is packed with 24 grain-free treats that will keep their tails wagging merrily until January.
Buy now £9.99, Pooch & Mutt
Maison Ladurée 2024 Advent Calendar
If you've ever wondered what's at the other end of the pendulum from cheap and cheerful chocolate advents, say hello to Ladurée's festive offering. The renowned French confectioner has put together this delightful luxury option, carefully filled with gourmet delicacies for which it is famed, from chocolate pearls, pots of jam and honey and chocolate-coated marrons glacés. From start to finish, it's a thing of real beauty.
Buy now £95.00, Ladurée
Caviar House Caviar Advent Calendar
We've had diamonds, we've had luxury fragrances; surely it was only a matter of time before caviar became the next big advent calendar filling.
Mayfair's Caviar House has done the honours with 24 randomly selected 10g tins of the top-tier bite. You'll need to store your loot in the fridge and polish it all off within 60 days so best to stock up on creme fraiche and blinis while you're at it.
Buy now £395.00, Caviar House
National Portrait Gallery High Street Advent Calendar by Emily Sutton
This beautifully crafted calendar available at the National Portrait Gallery reveals a charming illustration behind each door. The freestanding design is the perfect way to add to your festive decorations with rich colour and detail adding beauty to your window ledge, table tops or mantlepiece.
Buy now £12.00, National Portrait Gallery
