Our Favorite Advent Calendars of 2025
We looked at some of the most popular ones and found a few that stood out
When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more.
If you think you’ve seen more than your fair share of advent calendars lately, you’re not alone. Yes, it does seem as if just about everyone makes one these days.
Calendars marking the season of Advent (the four weeks leading up to Christmas) have exploded in popularity over the past few years. There’s a $375 Haut-Chocolat version from Vosges (up $50 from last year), dubbed Le Jardin de Cacao, which shows a whimsical holiday greenhouse with pop-out drawers, twinkling lights, and music, no less. And let’s not forget Sephora’s social-media-famous advent calendar—filled with the beauty retailer’s “must-haves”—that sells out pretty much the minute it becomes available. (We even missed the window to shop for it.)
Here’s one way to kick off the holiday season on a sweet note. I was quite impressed with the quality of the packaging. Made from sturdy cardboard, with a magnetic clasp to keep the “doors” shut, this advent calendar could easily be propped up on my counter. Bonus points for the festive element it lent to my space.
Inside, individually numbered drawers reveal each day’s treat. I was pleasantly delighted by the variety and enjoyed discovering something new every day. The back of the box features a pictured guide to everything you’ll find, so avoid looking if you want to be surprised.
Spoilers: The assortment inside skewed heavily toward gummies, with a few sour flavors. Chocolate candies, including ones with infusions such as caramel and peppermint, may not be for purists, but they were delicious nonetheless.
Verdict: Buy it! A candy advent calendar may be an exercise in restraint, but the sweet-toothed giftee will surely like this festive treat.
Unboxing this advent calendar felt like unwrapping a Barbie gift set from 1998. The packaging, a pink dollhouse-inspired box, featured a series of pink nail care staples nestled in clear plastic liners. There was something oddly nostalgic about it, and I was very into it.
Aesthetics aside, Olive & June’s packaging was particularly flimsy, and a few of the perforated flaps tore off when I attempted to open them. Fortunately, a slot at the top of the box allowed me to bypass puncturing each window. I simply undid the flap and removed all of the items at once.
Unveiling a fresh surprise each day is a pillar of the advent calendar experience. For that reason, part of me expected to be equally “treated” each day. And while I loved the assortment of items in this set as a whole, a few left something to be desired.
Spoilers: Specifically, it was the two nail files (one would have sufficed) and the plastic nail polish cookie cutter, which felt like a random add-on. Aside from that, I appreciated the variety of polishes, nail art stickers, and festive press-on nails.
Verdict: Buy it! This would make a great gift for a teen or tween.
This year, Olive & June is also offering a Hanukkah-themed version of the calendar.
Murray’s Cheese is a New York City institution, and this thoughtfully curated box offers a small window into it. Unlike the other advent calendars I ordered (this one isn’t explicitly marketed as one), Murray’s version comes with only 12 compartments. But what it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in the volume of, well, cheese.
The quality of the packaging is solid, and the brightly colored illustration will be appreciated. That said, the bulky nature of the box will likely encourage you to dig right in from the top rather than individually detaching each slot.
Spoilers: Inside, you’ll find an assortment of cheddar, Parmesan, and other cheeses, in addition to four jams exclusive to Murray’s and a few crackers. My advice? Spare yourself the agony of unwrapping one treat each day. Instead, call over a few friends and host a cheese night. You’ll have pretty much everything you’ll need in this box.
Verdict: Buy it! It’s perfect for yourself and your family and friends.
Because the items in this box are perishable, make sure you or a recipient will be home around the anticipated delivery time. Although the packaging is insulated, the box should be refrigerated upon arrival, according to the company.
Whether it’s for breakfast, teatime, or a midday nut butter sandwich, there’s something to be said for the versatility of jam. And if you’re all about the discovery of unique flavor combinations, this advent calendar from Bonne Maman, the famed French purveyor of spreads and jams, is for you.
Spoilers: Inside the box, each fun-sized jar is neatly nestled in the confines of its respective day, making it simple to reveal and discover your next flavor. As someone who loves having toast for breakfast, I relished experimenting with different flavors and even created a mini spread to share with my family over a Saturday brunch. I loved witnessing everyone sample the jams and the congenial discourse it led to. I found that each jar accommodated one to three slices of toast, depending on the preferred ratio of jam to bread.
Better yet, this package gave me a great excuse to kick off my day with fresh bread, good butter, and jam. Guava, yuzu, and pear with cocoa nibs were a few of the delectable, limited-edition jams included in this fruit-forward advent calendar.
Verdict: Buy it! Treat the foodie in your life with this sweet set.
An advent calendar that doubles as an activity is a win in my book. There’s a set of 12 mini puzzles in this artful rendition that features Andy Warhol’s Christmas-themed paintings and drawings. Each puzzle is in a plastic bag and concealed behind its respective day. The bags are somewhat stuffed into each slot, so take care when removing them. Otherwise, the packaging may look a little worn out toward the end of each week.
Spoilers: Inside the box, you’ll find a sheet with images of all 12 puzzles. Completing one without a picture for reference could be tricky, but if you’re up for the challenge, ditch the guide altogether. At only 80 pieces per puzzle, you might just be able to get away with it.
Verdict: Buy it! This advent calendar makes a great gift for the art lover and an equally pleasant activity for a cozy winter evening.
It doesn’t take a Lego lover (or a Harry Potter fan, for that matter) to appreciate this thematic advent calendar. Did I spend too much time indulging in the art of Lego making for this evaluation? Not no.
While it’s certainly not for the advanced builder, there’s still something to be said of the joy it brought to someone who’s probably not Lego’s prime demographic.
Spoilers: This advent calendar’s packaging features a pull-down, illustrated cardboard flap that doubles as the famed Hogwarts dining hall. It certainly set the stage for the scene. Behind each “door” is a brief picture guide to building the mini figurines, which are contained in a small plastic bag within the respective day’s slot.
It may not be the most over-the-top set, but it will undoubtedly spark magic for anyone with an imagination.
Verdict: Buy it!
The theme of the 2024 version was focused on the famed Harry Potter dining hall, but this year’s version takes on the magical world of the grounds at Hogwarts with the inclusion of figurines of mystical creatures.
I grew up drinking tea nearly every evening and still do. In fact, I have an entire cabinet dedicated to tea: bagged, tinned, loose leaf, cold-brew, whole flowers, dried herb stalks—you name it, I have it. I was particularly excited to get my hands on this set, as I’m a longtime fan of Palais des Thés teas. To me, they’re a little luxury.
While this advent calendar lacked bells and whistles, the cardboard packaging was beautifully festive. And for $38, my expectations were measurably subdued.
Spoilers: Inside, I found an assortment of teas, including green, black, and herbal flavors such as grapefruit and lemon peel. Each tea bag was concealed behind a numbered flap, which, once pulled back, revealed an adage or quote.
I enjoyed sampling the different teas, though I also found myself skipping ahead, searching for different flavors I wanted to try. After a few days, the tea bags started sliding out of their respective slots, so I removed them from the cardboard for easier access.
Verdict: Skip it. You’re paying extra for the packaging with this one. For context, a box of 20 tea bags (of a single flavor) costs $17 to $19. If you want the experience of a variety set and don’t mind compromising on the advent calendar packaging, go for the slightly less expensive Discovery Gift Set, $30. Although there are six fewer tea flavors, a solid overlap exists between the two box sets.
The main difference with this year’s box is the addition of an audio feature, which shares the history and traditions of tea.
How I Evaluated Advent Calendars
A great advent calendar incites excitement, discovery, and a sense of wonder. But the deal with many modern versions is that companies easily give away what you’ll find inside. Of course, if you’re buying one as a gift, this is less of a problem.
Some companies are better at concealing the contents of their calendars than others. Olive & June, for example, has an optional drop-down menu on its website with a detailed list of the products included. Others, such as Sugarfina, print a photographic guide of the sweets directly on the back of the advent calendar.
Value is another factor I considered, and more importantly, I wanted to know whether I was paying for the contents of the advent calendar or, more so, the packaging. It also mattered how intrinsically valuable the products were to me as the recipient. Did the daily unveiling of a treat spark joy? Or did I find myself digging into the box in search of something better?
Every advent calendar I evaluated was different—some had edible treats, while others created a holistic experience. Ultimately, I found that even though the contents varied from box to box, I still eagerly awaited what each day would bring. Isn’t that the magic of an advent calendar?
