Chocolate and candy advent calendars are basic — we prefer a creative, unique advent calendar that offers something new.
Advent calendars are one of the best parts of Christmas, giving us gifts and treats before Christmas Day to make the whole season more special. However, it’s easy to get tired of the all-too-common calendars with chocolate truffles and candy canes. We rounded up a wealth of more interesting and unique advent calendars, giving you a fresh way to countdown to the holiday this year.
Find a unique advent calendar that matches your interests and personalize this season’s countdown, from wine to Harry Potter to hot sauce.
1. Wicked: The Official Advent Calendar: 25 Days of Surprises
Barbie and Oppenheimer defined 2023, and Wicked is defining 2024. The highly-anticipated movie has everyone buzzing with musical glee and choosing between pretty in pink and glowing in green. This calendar comes with a charming collectible for each day, making it fun to embrace this popular story while counting down to Christmas.
2. Cocktail Bomb Advent Calendar
You’ve probably heard of bath bombs, but what about cocktail bombs? They’re small “bombs” that you can drop into liquid (usually a specific spirit or a carbonated base), and in just a few moments, you’ll have a delicious cocktail. This unique advent calendar has 24 different cocktail bombs, from a mimosa to a winter punch.
3. World of Wine Advent Calendar
There are countless alcohol-based calendars, from an IPA advent calendar to whiskey and more. But we couldn’t include them all, so we went with the cocktail bombs above and this fabulous wine option. It comes with 24 different bottles of wine, from Prosecco to Merlot, giving you enough for one or two glasses each night!
4. Select Dairy European Cheese Advent Calendar
What goes better with wine than cheese? We have a huge soft spot for cheese advent calendars because we’re cheese fanatics. There are many cheese advent calendars out there, but this is our top pick. It comes with 24 days of cheese, not just 12, and you get 12 cheese varieties, as opposed to three or four. Celebrate December with Mediterranean Gouda, Vintage Cheddar, and more.
5. Joe & Seph’s Assorted Popcorn Advent Calendar
Treat yourself to a scrumptious popcorn snack every day, counting down to Christmas with this unique advent calendar. There are classic flavors, like caramel and cheddar, but also more creative combinations, like mint chocolate, orange chocolate, gingerbread, and brandy butter. Just listing them makes our mouths water. And nothing goes better with your Christmas movie marathons!
6. ‘Tis the Season Advent Calendar Full of Christmas Poems
Not every advent calendar has to come with a plethora of products. This one is a little more humble, offering you an endearing Christmas poem for every day of Advent. Read the beautiful words of poets like Nikki Giovanni, John Agard, and Christina Rossetti. The book has lovely illustrations to go with the poems, and this is a wonderful calendar for the whole family to enjoy together.
7. Whole Foods 12 Days of Clean Beauty
The Whole Foods 12 Days of Clean Beauty calendar is one of the most popular Whole Foods holiday items; make sure you grab one before they’re gone. It comes with refreshing cosmetics like Dr. Hauschka Facial Toner and Whole Foods Market Pedicure Peel. It’s one of the best advent calendars if you want to pamper yourself this holiday season.
8. Tea Advent Calendar 2024
Tea advent calendars are more popular than you might think. If you love trying new tea infusions and have a warm cup every day, this is the perfect calendar for you. This advent calendar comes with 24 interesting tea options, including Tibetan Monks Tea, Holiday Green Tea N°25, Grand Jasmin Chun Feng, and more distinct flavors.
9. The Lush Advent Calendar
Lush has an alluring vibe that is colorful and enchanting. With vibrant bath bombs, all-natural products, and sparkly cosmetics, this advent calendar is hard for bath and beauty lovers to resist. It comes with 24 Lush products, including bath bombs (of course!), lotions, candles, and more. Plus, the box it comes in is reusable, so you can do it all again next year.
10. Voluspa Petite Pedestal Candle 12-Day Advent Calendar
Speaking of candles, this is our top pick for candle advent calendars. If you’re candle-obsessed, like us, this is a must-have for Christmas. Voluspa is a top-quality candle company offering adorable candle holders, interesting scents, and long-lasting burns. In this calendar, you get one of each candle from the Japonica and Holiday Collections, such as Forbidden Fig, Noble Fir Garland, and Foraged Wildberry.
11. Bonne Maman Mini-Spreads Advent Calendar
Few things are cuter than the mini Bonne Marman jars you get at hotel breakfasts. With this advent calendar, you don’t have to steal little jams from hotels to enjoy a variety of flavors. You get 24 unique spreads, including caramel coffee, orange blossom apricot, guava, and raspberry rose. Use them on toast and biscuits, in cookies, or to make interesting sauces. Or, enjoy spoonfuls straight from the jars!
12. Swarovski Annual Edition Advent Calendar 2024
Okay, we don’t typically drop $1,200 on an advent calendar, but this one is truly unique, and we had to mention it. The Swarovski calendar comes with 25 little trinkets, like ornaments, charms, decor crystals, and more. This sparkling calendar is definitely luxurious, making it a wonderful gift for someone special. The theme of the 2024 calendar is a snowy train journey, like the Polar Express!
13. 2024 Onyx Coffee Advent Calendar
Drink advent calendars, including tea and hot cocoa, are popular. This coffee advent calendar is also a marvelous option for caffeine lovers. Each morning of Advent, you can enjoy a new coffee blend, from Mexico Puebla Puhuac to Colombia Diego Horta Natural to Costa Rica Finca Carrizal Millenial. The coffee is yummy, but we also love how stunning the accordion calendar is.
14. Amazing Magic Advent Calendar
This unique advent calendar is perfect for kids, magic lovers, and aspiring magicians. It comes with 24 wrapped magic tricks, complete with a step-by-step manual for executing them and an explanation of how they work. Learn how to do the Queen Getaway or wow people with the Mind Reading Cube.
15. Anthropologie The New Yorker Puzzle Advent Calendar
A puzzle advent calendar is a satisfying gift for those who adore jigsaws. You can find affordable puzzle advent calendars on Amazon for less than $20, but if you want an elevated puzzle, this Anthropologie one is great. Actually, it’s 24 mini-puzzles! You get to tackle a new puzzle each day, and every single one is a picturesque holiday cover of The New Yorker.
16. LEGO Disney Advent Calendar 2024
There is no shortage of LEGO advent calendars, from Marvel to Star Wars to Harry Potter. But this LEGO Disney calendar has a magical and whimsical aura. The calendar includes one LEGO item for every day of Advent and comes with a snowy backdrop for the characters, which includes Disney princesses and other familiar characters. It’s a brilliant calendar for kids or Disney and LEGO-loving adults. You can find it at Costco!
17. The Book Lover’s Advent Calendar
With the rise of BookTok, we suspect book-themed advent calendars will be popular this year. Don’t worry; you don’t have to read a whole book each day. This Book Lover’s Advent Calendar comes with 24 surprises for people who always have their noses buried in the newest novel or a timeless classic. The gifts include items like bookmarks, stickers, book-themed ornaments, and more.
18. 12 Days of Organization Advent Calendar
Calling all neat freaks! Alright, we know this one is a bit nerdy, but we appreciate a good sticky note, so we think it’s awesome. The 12 Days of Organization Advent Calendar comes with little tools to stay organized and efficient. Get your hands on one-of-a-kind products like a peacock dual-tip market, midnight gel pen, thin wash tape duo, guided functional sticky notes, and other organizing items.
19. Experiment A Day Science Advent Calendar
This is one of the most unique advent calendars for kids, especially those who are curious about the world. It’s a science-themed calendar with 24 mini-experiments to teach kids about different aspects of science. It’s one of the most educational calendars on our list and wonderful for eager young minds.
20. Williams Sonoma 24 Days of Baking Cookies
First, it’s important you know this is not an advent calendar of cookies. It’s an advent calendar of baking tools and accessories to help you perfect your cookie-baking game. It comes with high-quality, stylish spatulas, biscuit cutters, cookie cutters, piping bags, decorating tips, and more. It’s all from Williams Sonoma, so you know it’s the good stuff.
21. Williams Sonoma Spice Advent Calendar
Another Williams Sonoma advent calendar we love is this spice calendar. It comes with 24 special spices for a variety of dishes, including vegetables, various side dishes, fish, meat, and desserts. It was curated by Parisian spice specialist Le Comptoir Colonial, making it extra fancy and culinary.
22. Torchbearer Sauces 12 Days of Hot Sauce Advent Calendar
For those who love to set their tongues on fire, we recommend this hot sauce advent calendar. It comes with 12 mini-bottles of fiery hot sauces that will leave you with steam coming out of your ears. The sauces range from sweet to scorching, with flavors like Sweet Onion Habanero, Plum Reaper, Pineapple Papaya BBQ, and more.
23. Trader Joe’s Advent Calendar for Dogs
Trader Joe’s holiday items are always exciting, and we look forward to the Advent Calendar for Dogs every year. It comes with 24 salmon and sweet potato treats for your dog. We can tell you from firsthand experience pups go nuts over these little treats. It’s a sweet way to include your four-legged buddy in the holiday festivities, whether they know it’s Christmas or not (they probably don’t).
24. Folkulture Incense Advent Calendar 2024
If you prefer incense sticks over candles, this unique advent calendar will exceed your expectations. It comes with 24 special holiday incense scents that will have your home smelling like Christmas tranquility. Scents like sugar cookies, gingerbread delight, alpine first, and winter berries capture the Christmas vibe and can help you unwind after some stressful holiday shopping.
25. Honey Advent Calendar Sampler
We promised no basic chocolate or candy calendars, but we didn’t say all sweets were off-limits! This honey advent calendar is a sweet Christmas treat with 24 little jars of premium raw honey. Some of the unorthodox honey flavors are orange blossom, blackberry blossom, coffee blossom, creamed honey, and mesquite honey. Enjoy natural honey like never before.
26. Hot Wheels 2024 Advent Calendar
From kids to collectors, this Hot Wheels calendar is a sensational way to countdown Advent while going “Vroom, vroom!” You get 24 Hot Wheels items, including Hot Wheels cars and a wide variety of winter-themed accessories. The calendar can be nostalgic for adults or exciting for kids.
27. Healing Crystals Advent Calendar
If you want to bring positive and healing energy into your Christmas season, this healing crystals calendar is exactly what you need. The calendar comes with 21 crystals, a magnifier, a storage bag, and a crystal necklace holder. Every crystal has its own distinct healing properties that you can harness to find balance and peace in your life. They also make for pretty holiday decor.
28. Barbie Advent Calendar
Is the Barbie hype over? Never! This Barbie advent calendar is the perfect pink option for kids who love all things Barbie or adults who still aren’t over the 2023 movie. This calendar comes with a full-sized Barbie as well as a variety of clothes and accessories, one for each day of Advent.
29. Fishing Advent Calendar
This one doesn’t exactly have mass appeal, but it’s definitely a unique option. It’s the ultimate advent calendar for people who love to fish and comes with 24 eye-catching and distinct lures. There are topwater lures, submerged lures, soft lures, and spoons to round out your collection. With bright colors and shiny materials, they’re sure to attract the fish.
30. 12 Days of Gourmet Nuts
Go nuts for nuts this December with this 12 Days of Gourmet Nuts calendar! This calendar comes with 12 small canisters of interesting nut varieties and flavors. Try coconut curry peanuts, honey sea salt almonds, butter cinnamon pecans, a fireside trail mix, and more that will dazzle your tastebuds. These aren’t just any nuts either; these are high-quality nuts and rich flavors that put Planter’s to shame.
31. Heirloom Seeds Advent Calendar 2024
For all the plant parents out there, we recommend this Heirloom Seeds Advent Calendar. It comes with 24 seed packets for a wide variety of heirloom perennial flowers. You’ll get seeds for stunning blossoms like moss roses, marigolds, jasmines, snapdragons, and various wildflowers that will amp up the color and spirit of your indoor or outdoor garden.
32. Pokemon Holiday Advent Calendar
Pokemon continues to be a beloved brand for kids and adults alike. If you’re a Pokemon fanatic or know one, this Pokemon Holiday Advent Calendar is a must-buy. It comes with 16 toy Pokemon characters and eight Christmas-themed accessories, like a sleigh, a Christmas tree, and a pile of presents. This is official Pokemon merchandise too.
33. American Eagle 12 Days of Cozy Luxury Advent Calendar
Cozy and luxury are two of our favorite adjectives. We jumped at this advent calendar when we saw it, and it’s just as phenomenal as we were hoping. It comes with 12 different items that embody coziness and luxury, including a knit hat, fuzzy socks, hair bows, necklaces, earrings, and more. With this calendar, you can feel comfy and look fabulous for Christmas.
34. Stitch a Day Advent Embroidery Calendar
This advent calendar is superb for cross-stitchers or anyone looking for a charming new hobby to pick up this season. The calendar gives you a new design each day of Advent to stitch into the embroidery hoop, and you can learn 12 different types of stitches. It comes with the hoop, floss, needle, fabric, and everything else you need. The final result is a homey Christmas design you can put out every year with your other Christmas decorations.
35. Harry Potter Official Advent Calendar
The book series ended in 2007, the movie series ended in 2011, and yet, Harry Potter merchandise is still popular. This is one of the official Harry Potter advent calendars and comes with over 25 Hogwarts relics and other items from the wizarding world. The calendar is generous, giving you more than one item per day of Advent, so you can really embrace the Harry Potter-Christmas spirit.
36. Balsam Hill Wooden Christmas Village Advent Calendar
We rounded up ready-to-go, single-use advent calendars for this list, as those are common and amusing. However, we want to remind you that you can always add a high-quality reusable advent calendar to your Christmas decor collection and fill it with your own unique treats each year. From little liquor bottles to slices of cheese to tiny toy figurines, you can create your own unique advent calendar each Christmas with beautiful calendars like this Wooden Christmas Village one.
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