Our Favorite Advent Calendars

The tasty jams in Bonne Maman’s Advent Calendar often feature exclusive flavors (some of this year’s fruit spreads include cherry with elderflower, and strawberry with star anise).

So why not spread the love? Keep a calendar for yourself, and send another to faraway friends and family, as Wirecutter’s Annam Swanson does. “My siblings and I have something to share across the distance for 24 days straight,” she said. “We get to try new flavor combinations and to learn new things about one another’s preferences.” Annam has made several batches of thumbprint cookies filled with the dredges of each spread.

And when the 24 adorably tiny jars are empty, they can be used to save leftover condiments, bring spices on a camping trip, display a single flower bud, store leftover paint and sequins, or stock a play kitchen.

The tea obsessives on our staff have sung the praises of family-owned Adagio Teas’ Silver Needle white tea. And this Advent calendar gives heavy tea drinkers and casual sippers alike a chance to try new flavors. The calendar comes in loose-tea and tea-bag versions, and there are clear directions (with brew temp and time) right on the package, so you don’t ruin your cuppa.

This gorgeous Advent calendar from Vahdam features 24 fair-trade loose-leaf teas packed in tiny reusable tins. With flavors like Ginger Masala Chai and Turmeric Saffron Tisane, the calendar is full of cozy, warming, wintery teas, as well as a variety of black teas (which could be interesting for an enthusiast to taste side by side). “All of the Vahdam teas I tried were fresh-tasting and mellow,” said Marguerite Preston, senior editor on Wirecutter’s kitchen team. “I like that each tin contains enough for a few servings and includes brewing instructions on the back.” You can also get the calendar in a tea-bag version or a version with larger tins.

The 2023 advent calendar from Onyx, a hip, high-quality coffee roaster based in Arkansas, eschews the red and green kitschy Christmas vibes of most Advent calendars. Instead, you get an imposing black and gold box that opens it like a dictionary to unfurl a cardboard arc of pockets containing 24 small pouches of whole bean coffee. Each pouch is enough to make two or three pour-overs, or a medium pot of coffee.

Given the price, this is definitely a calendar for coffee fanatics who will appreciate tasting their way through each of the 24 different single-origin coffees, taking note of the nuanced flavors in each.

The world of caramels involves more than just sea salt. To pique the curiosity of your sweet tooth, the McCrea’s Caramels Advent Calendar packs a dozen types of caramel behind 24 doors. The flavors range from the traditional (vanilla) to the intriguing (black lava sea salt) to the divisive (anisette), so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to try new offerings.

“This 101-year-old company nails delicious nostalgia, especially at the holidays. Though if you’re Californian, I probably don’t need to sell you on the appeal of digging through one of See’s famous assortment boxes for dark chocolate scotchmallows,” said senior staff writer Rachel Wharton. See’s Candies doesn’t use any preservatives in its confections, so you know each bite is going to be fresh and delicious. We love the mix of foil-wrapped solid milk chocolates, filled chocolates, and its famous lollipops, all of which are included in the snowy ski mountain setting of this calendar.

Some Advent calendars from fashion and beauty brands have been decried as being a terrible value (ahem, Chanel 2021). But the Kiehl’s calendar feels varied and special, with 24 travel-size cleansers, masks, moisturizers, hair-care items, and serums. It comes in a truly adorable box designed by a different artist every year. Last year’s was by a South African animation studio called Made by Radio, and this year’s is by an artist duo called Icinori. “I love being able to try a bunch of different products for a single sunk cost,” said deputy editor Annemarie Conte. “There are items I’ll never use again (and have passed on to friends) and ones I’ve continued to purchase at full size.”

The Advent calendar from this San Francisco–based bean-to-bar chocolate maker is pricey but absolutely stunning. Every year’s calendar looks different—the 2023 version features beautiful celestial illustrations by astronomer Dr. Tyler Nordgren, who has also created vintage-inspired posters for the US National Parks.

Each little box nestled inside doubles as an ornament and contains a confection from a different chocolatier from around the country, using Dandelion’s chocolate. The selection ranges from a maple roasted chestnut cup to a passion fruit caramel, and every one of them is special. “I think it’s worth the price just to sample chocolates from so many great chocolatiers,” said senior editor Marguerite Preston, “but the boxes are also so sturdy and beautiful that you could totally reuse them to make your own advent calendar in years to come.”

Wirecutter’s staff includes many an AFOLs (adult fans of Lego), as well as fans of Lego’s sets for kids. We can quibble about the various merits of individual Minifigures or set-design creativity, but we love the Lego Advent calendars because they offer one mini build a day—for adults and kids alike.

“My kids look forward to the tiny builds, and I look forward to them being self-motivated to get ready for school on their own for most of December,” said supervising editor Marilyn Ong. “They’re only allowed to pop open the tab for the day after they’re dressed and their things are packed!”

The build instructions are on the back of the little doors. At the end of the season, cut them off and store them in a zip-top baggie with the Lego pieces, so you can rebuild, even if the pieces scatter to the ends of the universe (and, if you have kids, you know they always do).

You can count down the days until Christmas with a different miniature toy each day. Schleich (the German toy company that makes the farm animal set we recommend in our guide to the best gifts for 2-year-olds) is known for its realistic, hand-painted figurines. Its dinosaur-themed Advent calendar includes five toy dinos, along with other prehistoric figurines. The farm-world version includes nine different farm animals (including a baby goat, a horse, and a calf) and 15 farm accessories.

Playmobil’s various Advent Calendars are always a hit. The Playmobil Santa’s Workshop version is great for the preschool crowd. Kids in this age group will be thrilled to uncover a tiny new toy each day. “My brother and I would dutifully take turns with who got to open up the paper window every day during December,” said senior researcher Kelsey Dang. “The attention to detail in the accessories is delightful, and the goal of building out a full scene keeps the suspense going throughout the month.” The payoff on Christmas morning is a gift in itself—a tableau of trinkets the kids will love to play with all year long.

The Breyer Advent Calendar Horse Play Set doesn’t change much from year to year, so it isn’t necessarily a great repeat gift. But it’s worth buying once for any horse-obsessed person in your life. “The calendar ended as a complete play set of little Breyer horses and riders, with lots of fencing, accessories, things to jump over,” said senior staff writer Jackie Reeve. “My daughter loves a good toy horse, and these now live on our dining room table in a Tupperware container to keep the pieces together. She plays with it often during meals, and all the toys hold up and work together as a self-contained horse farm.” This also makes an excellent travel toy set, and the unicorn version is equally magical.

A couple of years ago, senior editor Christine Ryan bought her cat, Bob, three different Advent calendars. There were two toy-filled calendars, which he momentarily feigned polite interest in and thereafter ignored. But the Snif-Snax calendar filled with tasty treats remained a hit throughout the month. “Every morning, we’d open that day’s crinkly plastic bag containing three or four salmon-flavor grain-free bits, and Bob would come running. He loved them so much, in fact, that when my partner happened to leave the calendar on his desk instead of putting it back on the mantelpiece, Bob pulled it to the floor and ransacked it,” she said. Someone’s on the naughty list this year!

If your favorite Advent calendar is sold out for the season, or you can’t find one that fits your fancy, you can always make your own—with a little help.

Customizing and filling a reusable, blank calendar can become a new tradition you’ll look forward to for years to come. Many craft stores sell unpainted, preassembled wooden Advent calendars that you can decorate and add a small token, a piece of candy, or a slip of paper with a Bible quote (as is the tradition for many Christians).

Many hanging cloth calendars are also available online, whether you’re looking for something charming (on Etsy) or chic (from Smallable). (We’re also tempted to try a nightly beer with this $60 Wisconsin-made tree calendar designed to hold cans.)

Or you can reuse a sturdy calendar from a previous year. The Kiehl's and See's book-style boxes are particular nice for this.

Once you’ve got your vessel, it’s on to the fun part of filling it. Some of Wirecutter’s most beloved teas (from Harney & Sons and Kusmi Tea) and scented-candle makers (including Keap and Mala the Brand) sell sampler packs. So you can pop a few tea bags—or tea lights—into your calendar pockets. Just make sure you take measurements of the drawers or pockets on your calendar before you start shopping for trinkets.

If you prefer something sweet, one of our favorite boxes of chocolate (La Maison du Chocolat Coffret Maison Dark) contains 24 pieces—just enough to last you until Christmas, if you can wait that long. On the other hand, if you get two boxes of our top pick from Recchiuti Confections, you’ll have eight pieces left over for snacking. Either way, be sure to store your choco-fabulous Advent calendar in a cool, dry environment.