Christmas: The final countdown
With just days to go before the Christmas countdown officially starts, here are some of our favourite advent calendars for this year.
With just days to go before the Christmas countdown officially starts, here are some of our favourite advent calendars for this year.
Bimble + Bolt
For those who don’t want to spend December embracing the ‘eat everything and be cosy’ mantra, Bimble + Bolt have a calendar especially for runners, featuring accessories, energising snacks and hydration essentials. £42, https://bimbleandbolt.com/
Yawn
Whatever your grind, YAWN have you covered. Coffee lovers can choose between beans or ground to get their caffeine fix every day up to Christmas. £39.99, Yawnbrew.com
Hotel Chocolat
From the up to Snow Good kids advent calendar to dark, milk, white and vegan offerings, Hotel Chocolat have a calendar for everyone (yes, you too vegans). Priced between £8.95 and £80, www.hotelchocolat.com
Nutella
For the first time EVER, Nutella have released an advent calendar filled with spreads, on-the-go treats and four mystery Christmas surprises, all wrapped up with a Christmas-jumper themed box. RRP £34.90, Amazon
TWG Tea
The premium luxury tea brand have the Twelfth Night countdown, featuring a different festive-inspired blend behind each of the dozen doors. £99, thewellnesstea.co.uk
Fuzzy Duck
Embrace the festive beauty vibes with scents including Frosted Cranberry, Plum Pudding, Candy Apple, and Spiced Pear in this year’s 24 Days of Beauty calendar from The Fuzzy Duck. RRP £45, Next/Ocado/Amazon
FUNKO
Collectors will love Funkos advent calendars. The beloved collectable figures have been rounded up in miniature form, with themes ranging from Star Wars to Marvel to Nightmare Before Christmas to Disney Princess. £22.50-£49.50, funko.co.uk
HAPPi
For environmentally-conscious chocoholics, HAPPi’s calendar is plastic-free and plant-based, with three flavours of chocolate – Salted Caramel, Plain Milk, and Orange behind each door. It’s also low-sugar, vegan-friendly and gluten-free .£15.50, https://happichoc.com/
Stych have two reusable calendars, which come with 24 pockets and 12 items to fill them including socks, hair accessories and sleep masks. One is recommended for girls aged 3-5 and the other for the 5-8 age range. £45, stychaccessories.com
Cox + Co
Dark chocolate lovers rejoice, the indulgent Cox + Co. Christmas Luxury Dark Chocolate Vegan Advent Calendar features unique hand-crafted art and contains 24 delicious bites of plain Single Origin 60% Colombian Cacao dark chocolate. £15, Amazon and www.coxandcocacao.com
Squishmallow
Adorable falls a long way short of describing the cute festive mini-squish characters crammed into the Original Squishmallows Squish-a-longs Holiday Countdown Calendar. They can be displayed either on the fold-out festive landscape included, or on the enclosed ring. RRP £24.99, The Entertainer, Amazon, Argos, Smyths
Real Techniques
A cosmetics calendar with a difference, the Real Techniques 25 Days Of Beauty countdown features a new beauty tool – including sponges, setting brushes and a liner stencil – every day, ideal for make-up beginners to build up their kit, or for seasoned beauty lovers who want to experiment. £25, www.superdrug.com.
Mad Beauty
Aww Stitch. After his outing to the cinema this year, the cute critter is back with the Disney Stitch Moon + Stars 24 Day Advent Calendar from Mad Beauty. Containing essentials such as bubble bath, lip balms, body wash, clay masks, nail files and scrunchie, it’s great value for young beauty lovers. £20, www.superdrug.com
Bonne Maman
Packaged within a winter wonderland scene, Bonne Maman’s annual festive offering boasts 23 mini jars or conserves and spreads, including some developed especially for Christmas and not usually available in the UK (think Cherry with pink berries and Fig with cardamom) , and a special gift for Christmas Eve. £33, www.bonnemaman.co.uk/advent
Doughlicious
An advent calendar you need to keep in the freezer? Yes, but that’s a good thing because you won’t want it on display for people to try and sneak out a delicious Cookie Dough Gelato Ball from Doughlicious’ 12-day countdown. £13, Ocado
The Ilchester Cheese Co
Not just your typical cheddar, the CraftyHerd Cheese Advent Calendar fits neatly into the fridge door and is packed with 12 different flavours of cheese, from sweet and savoury to punchy and spicy, as well as a special truckle for Christmas day itself. £15, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Ocado.
Pierre Marcolini
Pierre Marcolini have taken in back to the 1930s for their holiday gifting this year, and their art deco advent calendar is no different. 24 delicious chocolates, from pralines to truffles, each one as luxurious as their packaging. £54, www.marcolini.co.uk.
Vistaprint
For a truly personal touch, Vistaprint offer custom Advent Calendars. Upload your own photo, add a festive message and even select your choice of chocolate for behind the doors – with Milka, Lindt, Mars Miniatures, Toblerone and more available. Prices vary, www.vistaprint.co.uk
Danilo
Affordable collectable pieces, Danilo’s musical advent calendars let you construct a festive scene, as well as pick up small gifts including stickers. Watch as the characters dance to the music, with themed calendars including Harry Potter, The Gruffalo’s Child, Peppa Pig, The Snowman and Star Wars. £24.49, https://danilo.com/
Lego
A mini-figure or a themed-piece to build every day, LEGO fans can choose from Harry Potter, Lego Friends, Star Wars and Frozen for their festive countdown. £13.99+up, www.lego.com/
