Thrilling Christmas countdown or fun “tasting menu” of food, beauty or fragrance products, you really are spoilt for choice when it comes to advent calendars. Chocolate? Jam? Cheese? Gin? Skincare? The possibilities feel endless…
As preparations begin for 2022’s festive season, I take a look at 20 of the best Christmas advent calendars. What will you choose?
The White Company – Beauty Advent Calendar - £175
What more perfect way to start the countdown to Christmas than with a beauty advent calendar from The White Company? Each of the calendar’s 25 draws are filled with seasonal scents and wellbeing treats - from bath and body miniatures to votives in bestselling scents. There are also two full-size Signature Candles.
The contents are worth £269 (a saving of £94). If you like to know exactly what you are getting for your investment, check out the advent calendar’s product details on The White Company website.
Fortnum & Mason – Filled Wooden House Advent Calendar - £145
I love this gorgeous wooden advent calendar from Fortnum & Mason. Behind every numbered door you will find a collection of sweet treats, including Fortnum’s milk chocolate coins, foiled milk chocolate Santas and snowmen, foiled milk chocolate balls, and natural fruit pectin jellies.
Admittedly, it is quite pricey but this is an advent calendar that you could use year after year, becoming part of your Christmas tradition. (Fortnum's Advent Calendar Refill Pack costs £35.95.)
Cult Beauty Advent Calendar - £235
With 37 beauty products (including 13 full sizes) worth in excess of £1,000, the Cult Beauty Advent Calendar is one of the best on the market. Expect appearances from the likes of Augustinus Bader, 111SKIN, The INKEY List and Youth To The People behind each door (you can discover the calendar’s full contents on the Cult Beauty website).
On day 25, you will discover no less than six special beauty finds. If all that was not enough, hidden within three Cult Beauty Advent Calendars are three Golden Tickets worth 1,000 Cult Beauty pounds.
Cult Beauty is donating over £75,000 from the sales of its advent calendar to Mental Health UK and the company is also working with (more:trees) to plant one tree for every advent calendar sold, helping to restore forests and sequestering future CO2 emissions in the process.
Charlotte Tilbury – Charlotte’s Diamond Chest Of Beauty Stars - £150
In this 12 door advent calendar, you can pick the drawer of your choice and find treats from Charlotte Tilbury’s gorgeous range of make-up and skincare. With contents worth £245 (find out more on the Charlotte Tilbury website), it is easy to see why this is a popular advent calendar. Spoilers! This calendar had me at the full size Magic Lip Oil Crystal Elixir…
Giant Welsh Cheese Company Advent Calendar - £164
With a total of over 4.2 kilograms of cheese and measuring over a metre in width, the Giant Welsh Cheese Advent Calendar is a cheese lover’s dream. Each calendar contains 24 individual truckles of artisan Welsh cheese from seven cheesemakers - ranging from creamy soft cheeses to punchy, crowd-pleasing Cheddars and lip-smacking blues.
The calendar is made up of four triangular boxes (each measuring 51cm in width, 32.5cm in height and 11cm in depth) that stack together to create one giant triangle (total width of 102cm and total height of 65cm). If you would prefer something smaller, check out the Mini Welsh Cheese Advent Calendar, which costs £43 and contains six rather than 24 cheeses.
Fever-Tree Gin and Tonic Advent Calendar - £60
Fever-Tree have created the perfect advent calendar for gin lovers. Open each of the calendar’s 24 doors to find either a can of one of Fever-Tree’s premium mixers or a craft gin miniature from brands such as Sipsmith, Hendricks and Chase. You can snap up these calendars at Ocado, Waitrose and John Lewis.
Lindt Teddy Adorable Advent Calendar - £11
A tradition in our house, I love the Lindt Teddy advent calendar. Open each of the calendar’s 24 doors to find a selection of festive figures - from miniature versions of Lindt’s iconic Teddy to creamy milk and white chocolate snowdrops.
Bonne Maman Advent Calendar - £25
Featuring a gorgeous carousel design, Bonne Maman’s advent calendar contains 23 doors. Behind each door hides an adorable mini jar of conserve created especially for Christmas 2022. In addition, the calendar offers an extra little present on 1 December and, spoiling us even further, another gift to celebrate 24 December.
Fortnum & Mason’s Feasting Advent Calendar - £200
Fortnum & Mason's Feasting Advent Calendar is packed with, well, a feast of gourmet delights – from classic teas, biscuits, chocolate and confectionery to mouth-watering preserves, condiments and festive tipples. According to F&M, self-gifting is certainly encouraged… and who are we to argue?
Sephora Collection – Beauty Advent Calendar - £139.99
Worth over £711, the Sephora Beauty Advent Calendar features 34 must-have products (17 are full-size) curated from a mix of beloved brands. Think skincare from Augustinus Bader, Elemis and The Ordinary, makeup from Huda Beauty, Nars and KVD Beauty, and scent from Mugler, Neom and Floral Street. What a treat!
Joe & Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn Advent Calendar – £20
Hidden within this fun and beautifully illustrated advent calendar are 24 packs of Joe & Seph’s legendary handmade gourmet popcorn. The perfect accessory for all those special Christmas movies…
Whittard – The Hot Chocolate Advent Calendar For Two - £70
This beautiful advent calendar allows you to dedicate 24 days to hot chocolate. There are 12 flavours from classics to more cutting-edge concoctions such as sticky toffee pudding. Each drawer contains a serving for two people. Bliss!
Brewdog Craft Beer Advent Calendar - £59.95
Are you dreaming of a craft beer Christmas? Well, dream no more with Brewdog’s advent calendar. Featuring 24 beers and a unique glass, this calendar is exactly what it says on the box – well festive.
Nespresso – Original Advent Calendar - £41
Behind every door of Nespresso’s 2022 advent calendar lies a different coffee from the company’s Original Line – three of which have been co-created by pastry chef and chocolatier, Pierre Hermé. The gorgeous, reusable box also contains an extra treat for day 24.
Laithwaites– Wine Advent Calendar Mix- £79.99
Laithwaites offer three advent calendars – a white, a red and a mix of both. Featuring a festive street scene inspired by some of the company’s favourite wine regions, there is a quarter-bottle of wine inside each window. Spoiler alert! There's a half bottle of Champagne for a special treat on Christmas Eve.
Jelly Belly Christmas Tree Advent Calendar - £21
Hidden behind every door of Jelly Belly’s Christmas Tree Advent Calendar is a bag of, you’ve guessed it, yummy jelly beans. A different flavour will take you to Christmas day when you will discover a Christmas-inspired surprise bag.
Jo Malone Advent Calendar - £350
The Jo Malone Advent Calendar seeks to fill your December with 25 days of scented treats. Mood-boosting home fragrances, popular colognes in miniature, seasonal adornments and a couple of full-sized surprises await!
M&S Beauty Advent Calendar - £300
M&S’s beauty advent calendar features a selection of 25 cult beauty products - including seven full-size items, across bath and body, skincare, fragrance and make-up. These treats are housed in a jewellery box packaging design which can be reused to store all your beauty products.
Mylee Advent Calendar - £65
A selection of 12 Mylee nail treats are waiting to be discovered in this advent calendar - including a limited edition 5-in-1 Builder Gel to strengthen and lengthen your nails and six limited edition festive MyGel Colours. (polishes require a UV or LED lamp to set). The goodies in this advent calendar are worth £92 - a 29% saving!
Christmas Railway Tree Paper Advent Calendar – £22
If you would prefer to go old school, have a look at Fortnum & Mason’s beautiful, double-sided Christmas Railway Tree Paper Advent Calendar. The calendar depicts a snowy mountaintop town at Christmas with a traditional railway. Illustrated by German artist Barbara Behr, it is so gorgeous.