The satisfaction of an advent calendar used to come from winning an argument with your siblings over whose turn it was to peel back a tiny cardboard door to reveal a Christmassy image. In the 1990s, chocolate calendars began to appear more widely on UK supermarket shelves, a trend that migrated from the US. However, anyone who wasn’t allowed sweets before school had to make do with a card version, often reused, its doors growing more and more unhinged each December.
Then, in 2010, Selfridges launched a beauty calendar, and the countdown to Christmas fundamentally changed. A gorgeous box with 24 sliding doors, each housing a miniature beauty product from a range of luxury brands, it set a new standard in British advent calendars – and a new price point. The original cost £60, but this year’s version was £220. It sold out in September.
