While the big day is still weeks off - or as one email alarmingly put it, “Only 14 Fridays until Christmas!” - now is the time to plan and spread the cost of the festive period by securing things like Christmas trees and advent calendars the second they go on sale.
For some, the mere mention of advent calendars brings to mind the innocent chocolate boxes of childhood. For me, advent calendars are a whole new festive ballgame.
The grown-up advent is here, and there are more options than could ever fit in St. Nick’s sack. Think bountiful boxes stuffed with the best of the beauty hall, and cardboard carriers packed with booze. They follow the same concept as traditional advents, only with daily treats designed to surprise an 18+ audience. What stays the same? The giddy excitement of clawing open a fresh window every day until the 25th.
Advent calendars were once a nice, optional pre-Christmas extra, but as the years roll on and incredible new ideas come to market, they have become a must-have to enjoy before December 25, whether you’re shopping for someone else or giving yourself a much-deserved, end of year treat. In gifting terms, it’s like stretching before a marathon.
There are advent calendars to speak to every taste, every budget and every fancy, plus a few curveballs that will make you, or the person you’re buying one for, burst with joy.
The most coveted advents can sell out weeks before December 1, so if you see one you like, don’t dither over it for too long.
To show you what’s out there for Christmas 2025, I’ve found the weirdest, wildest and downright wonderful advent calendars that promise to make the season shine brighter than ever.
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Fortnum's Chocolate Truffle Selection Advent Calendar, 250g
There's bound to be a chocolate-lover on your Christmas list who deserves a special treat. Give them a taste of the finer things with Fortnums' chocolate truffle selection advent calendar, packed with tastebud-igniting flavours: think salted caramel, Milk chocolate Marc de Champagne truffles and milk chocolate raspberry truffles. Outrageously indulgent.
Buy now £40.00, F&M
Papier Advent Calendar 2025
Papier’s desk delights are back for another year! This time, the stationer’s dream is modelled on a fancy envelope with 24 gifts to love inside. Surprises include to-do notes, pens and pencils, erasers, thank you notes, a mini week calendar, washi tape and more, all in Papier's playful contemporary aesthetic.
Buy now £140.00, Papier
Daylesford Organic Farmshop Christmas Advent Calendar
Eat, drink and be merry is December's mission and achieve it you shall thanks to Daylesford Organic's new advent calendar.
Festooned in charming illustrations by artist Hugo Guinness, the 25-door calendar is packed with treats plucked straight from farm shop shelves. Expect luxe versions of larder essentials, sweet homewares pieces and bits from the bath and body ranges for a moment of well-earned self-indulgence.
Buy now £275.00, Daylesford Organic
Grind Coffee Pod Advent Calendar
London coffee house Grind’s book format calendar opens to reveal an illustration of a house in full festive flow with numbered windows housing 25 home-compostable, Nespresso-compatible pods. There are more blends than you can shake a whisk at, from the signature House to Caramel and Extra Dark.
A second calendar houses whole bean and ground coffee in a CD rack-style design.
It's available to purchase now with free delivery.
Buy now £29.95, Grind
Whittard of Chelsea Loose Leaf Tea Advent Calendar For Two
Tea-imbibing couples will savour the chance to get stuck into this luxury tea advent calendar from Whittard of Chelsea. Fold back the box's upper leaves to find 24 numbered draws holding loose-leaf tea selections, each one offering a moment of calm and quiet in the midst of festive plan-making.
Buy now £79.95, Whittard of Chelsea
Newby Teas 2025 Advent Calendar
Stepping away from the de rigeur box or book-style calendar is Newby Teas. The drinks brands has dreamed up this Polo-esque calendar with drawers stuffed with various blends, offering a thrill for anyone who holds a cuppa sacred. A rare instance where the box is as covetable as the gifts within.
Buy now £69.99, Selfridges
Contact Coffee Co 2024 Ground Coffee Advent Calendar
Father Christmas may be mostly magic, but have you ever wondered how he got those chimney-scaling skills? Contact Coffee Co suggests the present-giver may have had a past in the Royal Marines going by its advent calendar packaging.
Tear past soldier Santa to find 25 sachets of expertly grounded coffee inside hailing from some of the world's best coffee-growing regions, ready to supercharge the days leading up to Christmas.
Buy now £30.00, Contact Coffee Co
Harrods 12 Days of Biscuits Advent Calendar
A calendar in a distinctly wreath-like design, this lovely design is looking to take your festive snacking to the next level. Inside are elite biscuits from hazelnut praline shortbread and pistachio, cherry and cardamom biscuits to spiced salted caramel shortbread that will go down a treat with mulled wine.
Buy now £38.00, Harrods
Sockshop 25 pair Christmas Advent Calendar - men
Socks are always a useful gift, and festive designs add to the joy of the season.
Sockshop’s 25-day calendar comes in three designs for men (pictured), women and couples to enjoy together. Secured with a festive ribbon, the box barely needs any additional gift-wrapping but if you decide to go the extra mile, the square shape will make it all the easier.
Plus, 10 per cent of advent calendar sales will go to SOCKSHOP’s partner charity Emmaus, meaning you can spread goodwill through your purchase.
Buy now £59.99, Sockshop
ESPA 2025 Wellness Advent Calendar
If there's ever a need for calm, in the midst of Christmas is it. Turn to ESPA's advent calendar for a moment of self-care and you won't be disappointed. Each of the 25 gifts is calibrated to soothe mind, body, and spirit.
In all, the products are worth a cool £435, towering over the actual RRP, and with seven full-size wonders in the mix, you certainly won't feel short-changed. A spa in a box.
Buy now £175.00, ESPA
Jurlique Advent Calendar 2025
If you're not yet familiar with Australian skincare label Jurlique, consider this your official introduction. The brand is best known for its revitalising Rosewater Balancing Mist but there are many more gems in its arsenal, which you will discover with its seasonal advent calendar.
There are 24 deluxe-sized goodies from the Rose collection (including the oil and aforementioned mist) as well as Herbal Recovery and Nutri-Define. As always, the formulations are natural. Power your Christmas season with plants.
Buy now £110.00, Jurlique
Aman Essentials' Advent Calendar
Coveted hotel group Aman has released its own advent calendar this year, so if you can't get to one of their 35 sublime properties around the world, you can at least make the run-up to Christmas feel like you're there.
The Japanese notion of meaningful gifting inspires the 25-door calendar; indeed, each gift offers the recipient a moment of calm in what can be a chaotic period. Contents include gold eye masks, skincare, pulse point remedies and more.
Self-care on a luxe scale.
Buy now £559.00, Aman
Estella Bartlett Advent Calendar
Back for the fifth year running, Estella Bartlett has given its beloved advent calendar a suitably festive makeover with a frosted silver and white exterior. But that’s just where the good stuff begins. Inside is a selection of 12 pieces of jewellery suited to your preference. Depending on whether you’d like silver-plated or gold, there’s a gift selection for you worth around £376.
Launches October 1.
Buy now £195.00, Estella Bartlett
Lovehoney x Womanizer x We-Vibe Couple’s Advent Calendar 2025
Designed for you and a playmate, Lovehoney's couples calendar sees you save up to 70 per cent on the products inside versus if you bought them individually. The selection includes two headliners: the Womanizer Classic 2 and the We-Vibe Sync Lite, which can be controlled via an app. Other highlights include bondage accessories, bedroom toys, blindfolds and more.
Buy now £149.00, Lovehoney
Lovehoney Indulge Calendar
December is a time for excess, so why not treat yourself to Lovehoney's Indulge Advent Calendar? This one is made for solo play, with toys and accessories for vulva-owners.
The squeal-worthy gift in this particular mix is Lovehoney's own invention, a shell-shaped vibrator called Venus Glow.
Other accessories include a bullet, skincare products, a mini wand and a host of other delights.
Buy now £99.00, Lovehoney
The Netflix Advent Calendar
Christmas: a time to eat, drink and sink into boxset marathons. This year, Netflix is making being sofa-bound all the more appealing with its advent calendar, full of 24 exclusive collectables from the streaming service's hit shows. Inside the book-style design, you'll find memorabilia from Bridgerton, Squid Game, Stranger Things, The Witcher and more. One for fans of the small screen.
Buy now £99.00, Menkind
Haynes Electronic Games Advent Calendar
Perfect for the young (and young at heart), this calendar reveals components every December day until the 25th until you have everything you need to build 24 different games like Code Breaker, Whack a Mole and Wire Maze. Requires three AA batteries, not included.
Buy now £25.00, MenKind
Pinball Machine Advent Calendar
Whether you want to spend quality time with your kids or you like the idea of a slow build to enjoy on Christmas Day this pinball machine-making kit hits all the right notes. Every day you’ll find a new set of instructions until you’re left with a mini pinball machine to play on the 25th. The kit is easy to assemble and uses no glue in its making, so can easily be broken down and recycled when the time comes. Glass marbles are included in the set so you can start playing as soon as the machine is made.
Buy now £24.99, Amazon
The Naked Marshmallow Company Gourmet Marshmallow Advent Calendar
We know it’s the season for chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but they’re not to everyone’s taste. Know what everyone loves though? A gooey-in-the-middle toasted marshmallow.
Indulge with a gourmet marshmallow advent calendar that will dispense 25 sweet bites every day until December 25. Flavours include candy floss, s’mores, cinnamon churro and curiously, fizzy watermelon and bubblegum. Whether you wish to toast first thing in the morning or as a nightly dessert is up to you.
Buy now £25.00, Prezzybox
She Grows Veg advent calendar
Green-fingered friends will adore this wholesome calendar from She Grows Veg. It parcels up 25 heirloom seeds in jolly striped numbered bags to discover every day until the big one. Helpfully, each packet bears a QR code on the reverse that links to sow and grow how-tos, so you’ll know how to get the best from your bounty.
A sweet idea that supports a small business.
Buy now £70.00, She Grows Veg
Fortnum's Dog Advent Calendar
Advent calendars are for all the family - pets included. Fortnums is giving man’s best friend the finest pre-Crimbo treat with this specially designed wooden calendar, filled with suitably luxe treats.
Buy now £125.00, Fortnum's
Caviar House Caviar Advent Calendar
We've had diamonds, we've had luxury fragrances; surely it was only a matter of time before caviar became the next big advent calendar filling.
Mayfair's Caviar House has done the honours with 24 randomly selected 10g tins of the top-tier bite. You'll need to store your loot in the fridge and polish it all off within 60 days so best to stock up on creme fraiche and blinis while you're at it.
Buy now £395.00, Caviar House
Christmas Die Hard Advent Calendar
It's just not Christmas without at least one viewing of vintage Bruce Willis screaming "Yippee Ki‐Yay" at bad guys. Movie buffs will chuckle at this Die Hard-themed calendar, which bears no gifts except for Hans Gruber getting his just desserts.
You'll countdown from December 1 at the top of Nakatomi Plaza down to Christmas Day on the pavement below, moving Hans every day.
Buy now £9.99, Amazon
