The Alternative Advent Calendars We All Want This Year
We’ve picked out 16 of our favourite alternative advent calendars you’ll want to wake up to this year
While we would never say no to being allowed to eat chocolate first thing in the morning for a whole month, there is something nice about mixing up your advent calendar each festive season.
Fortnum & Mason
Stalwarts of the festive season, Fortnum & Mason have a whole host of advent calendars on sale this Christmas. The one that stands out the most for us is the Fortnum's Feasting Advent Calendar, £200. Jam-packed with a veritable feast of gourmet delights – from figgy pudding and mulled wine spices, to cognac butter and cranberry and port chutney – this is sure to make each December morning more delicious than the last.
Astrid & Miyu
The Astrid & Miyu 24 Day Advent Calendar is every jewellery lover’s dream. Worth more than £1,400 but yours for the bargain price of £590, it includes 23 pieces of jewellery-stacking heaven and a £100 voucher to spend online or in-store. You can also personalise your calendar by choosing your zodiac sign and birthstone, to curate an A&M stack made for you. Last year their advent calendar sold out in record time though, so don’t wait to get yours!
Whittard
Whittard’s Tea & Infusion Advent Calendar, £70, offers a heaped teaspoonful of Christmas cheer in each drawer which holds four individually wrapped teabags – that’s 94 cuppas for the whole month – and with everything from unique Whittard blends to renowned single-origin teas, as well as a little extra gift to start your journey, this is a tea lover’s dream!
Rituals
Just as you would expect from Rituals, their 3D calendar, £105, makes the most of the ritual of advent. Shaped as a Christmas tree, complete with string lights, the decorations on each branch are actually 24 luxurious gifts to unwrap. Inside you’ll find treats ranging from a candle for every Sunday of Advent to full-sized beauty products that will last you long after Christmas.
Nespresso
Fill every moment of the Christmas countdown with discovery with the Nespresso Advent Calendar, £45. Behind each door is a different coffee, including three which were co-created with world–renowned pastry chef and chocolatier Pierre Hermé. An architect of taste, his special flavoured coffees celebrate the festive season, plus a surprise gift behind the 24th door will make your Christmas Day even more special.
Yankee Candle
Bring the magic of the holidays to life with with the Yankee Candle build your own Christmas Tree Advent Calendar, £89.99. Stack the boxes into a tree shape and place your star on top, before discovering a carefully-chosen selection of scented candles and accessories. Every candle comes with a festive fragrance to help bring the festive spirit into your home, including scents such as white spruce and grapefruit and vanilla crème brûlée.
Fever-Tree
We can’t think of many better ways to count down to the big day than with a good G&T and with Fever-Tree’s Ultimate Gin & Tonic Advent Calendar it couldn’t be easier. Containing 12 perfectly paired gin and tonics from classic to fruity or floral, we can’t wait to try the Slingsby Rhubarb Gin with Fever-Tree’s Mediterranean tonic water – a match made in heaven. Fever-Tree Ultimate Gin & Tonic Advent Calendar, £60.
LEGO
For an advent calendar full of surprises, LEGO’s contains easy-to-follow construction guides printed inside each calendar door so kids can count down to the big day with a fun LEGO building experience. A festive foldout playmat sets the scene for each build, and there are LEGO City Adventures TV series characters and a Santa mini-figure to be found too. LEGO City Advent Calendar, £21.99.
Bonne Maman
The Bonne Maman Advent Calendar, £25.99, is the perfect way to say Joyeux Noël this festive season. With a traditional carousel design, centred around a snowy Christmas tree, it features 23 doors each hiding a mini jar of conserve, every one an exclusive fruit variety or unique flavour combination created especially for this Christmas, and the calendar also contains an extra little present on 1st December plus another gift to usher in the big day itself on the 24th.
Candy Kittens
Remember the days when your advent calendar was full of chocolate and it had melted before you’d manage to open the first window? Us too! But that’s now a problem of the past with Candy Kittens 3D Pop-Up Advent Tree, £12. Packed full of their vegan sweets, there is a selection of flavours meaning no two days will taste the same. There’s enough in the box to have two Candy Kittens per day but good luck trying to hold yourself back!
Paxton & Whitfield
This Christmas, Paxton & Whitfield’s Artisan Cheese Advent Calendar, £150, is guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of all cheese lovers. It’s limited edition so you’ll want to be quick, those who do get their hands on one will receive three fresh deliveries of eight hand-cut and hand-wrapped artisan cheese boxes throughout December. An immersive cheese tasting experience, each box contains a factsheet with information about the cheese, its maker and pairing or recipe ideas.
Balmain
Designer fashion brand Balmain is celebrating the festive season with a nutcracker-themed Haircare Advent Calendar. Including products such as thermal protection spray and argan oil moisturising elixir, as well as a Balmain nutcracker and travel-sized hairbrush, this calendar has everything you need for fabulous hair this Christmastime (and well in to the New Year!). Balmain Haircare Calendar, £180.
Joe & Seph’s
New for 2022, this 24-day popcorn advent calendar features a ‘Find Joe & Seph!’ illustrated puzzle. Once you’ve found Joe, the resident popcorn chef, and Seph, the popcorn connoisseur, in their kitchen, open the doors and tuck into the delicious surprises inside. There are two new and exclusive popcorn flavours, Buck’s Fizz and Candy Cane, alongside the usual favourites of Salted Caramel, Chocolate Orange and Banoffee Pie. Find Joe and Seph Gourmet Popcorn Advent Calendar, £30 Joe & Seph’s.
Just Spices
Have yourself a merry spice-mas this year with Just Spices' large advent calendar, £139.75. Made up of 24 full-size spice mixes, a glossy cookbook with 50 recipes, and a voucher which could be anything from £5 to £50, you’re sure to make memorable meals for the foreseeable with this calendar.
Rare Birds Books
Bookworms look no further, as we’ve found the advent calendar for you this year! Introducing the Rare Birds Books 24 Days of Reading Advent Calendar with a secret blurb hidden behind each of its doors. Play along and guess the books in the countdown to Christmas, then at the end of the month, choose your four favourite books and redeem them using your personal secret code. The titles stay secret to help you get out of your comfort zone, but all books are a selection of Rare Birds Books’ favourites from 2022, so no matter your go-to genre you’re sure to find something you love. Rare Birds Books 24 Days of Reading Advent Calendar, £50.
Paperchase
Choose something different this year with a gorgeous gingerbread house full of all your stationery favourites and essentials. You’ll get a £5 voucher and a 2023 diary all tied up in a red bow, plus if you’re the lucky golden pen recipient, you’ll receive a £200 voucher too. The Big Stationery Advent Calendar, £45 Paperchase.
