30 Alternative Advent Calendars That Go Outside the Box (Figuratively Speaking)
If you're on the hunt for a non-chocolate advent calendar, these unique Christmas calendars offer up everything from jam to lingerie.
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There are so many good traditions associated with the holiday season, but one of the all-time best has to be the advent calendar. There's just something about anticipating a new surprise each day — even though it's so small! — that makes the days leading up to Christmas fly by.
Advent calendars originated in Germany around the early 1900s. The OG adventskalender design was paper, often embellished with foil and other sparkly elements, and contained numbered doors hidden within a print of a winter scene. Each door opened to reveal a yuletide image or greeting, and finding the doors was half the fun.
Today, paper and foil have given way to the chocolate advent calendar — and it's not always the best chocolate, either. So many, understandably, have moved on and have found ways to fill their doors and drawers with anything but. Now, you can find a cool advent calendar filled with anything from cute socks to bites of cheese. So, what's your pleasure? Whether you're shopping for kids, adults, men or women, these are the best alternative advent calendars to buy in 2022. (Be warned: Some of these may be appropriate for kids, but some are clearly very adult.)
This one is a sellout every year and, if you’ve ever swiped a gingham-patterned mini jar of Bonne Maman jam from a restaurant table, you know why. This deluxe advent calendar gathers 24 of the little gems in hard-to-find flavors like orange yuzu and grapefruit or strawberry with star anise.
Could this be any more festive? This is the ultimate countdown to Christmas for any Friends fan. Inside, you'll find pockets packed with 40 trinkets and surprises, including themed ornaments and recipe cards. Or if Friends isn't your lobster, you can find similar advent calendars for Harry Potter, Star Wars, Home Alone, Marvel and other pop-culture phenomena.
This très chic take on the traditional advent calendar comes from the Parisian company Palais du Thé. Each door contains elegant single-estate or gourmet infusion sachets flavored with elderflower, cranberry and more.
Put some "Cheers!" in your Christmas cheer with this set of 12 hard seltzers, some of the top-rated flavors on GiveThemBeer.com's website. Or, if you don't like seltzer, they also have advent calendars for craft beer, canned cocktails, sparkling wine and other libations.
Perk up your dark December days with this calendar, which offers 24 sachets of 18g of coffee each. You can choose from two versions, the standard or the limited-edition pro, which each have different selection of brews. Not a coffee drinker? You can also try Yawn Brew's tea advent calendar or hot chocolate advent calendar.
Go to every holiday event with a different look, thanks to these mini nail polishes. This year marks the calendar's 10th anniversary, so it's sure to include some special items.
You can choose between the "Holi-Day" box or the "'Twas the Night" version of this wine advent calendar. Each collection comes with a mix of white, red and rosé. Can't choose? Get both and you'll snag a discount ($199).
RELATED: Best Wine Advent Calendars
Fidget toys are still all the rage, and if you're always looking for something to do with your hands, this advent calendar might help. Each day brings you something to squish, stretch or pop.
Sample wares from breweries across the United States without leaving your house! This box, which ships in late November, comes loaded with 12 different craft brews.
RELATED: 12 Best Beer Advent Calendars
Place one of these wooden, woodland decorations on your mantel each day and, by Christmas, you'll have a whole marching band scene. When it's done, it packs away into a mini suitcase. If you're not into the all-wood look, Meri Meri also has more colorful advent scenes with cats, with dogs and even with dinosaurs!
Calling all sports fans! Take a decal from this set and add it to the tree each day, and you'll have a decoration that celebrates your favorite team. After all, once Christmas is over, it's only a hop, skip and a jump to the Big Game. You can also get them for some MLB teams.
Make your house smell like the season with 24 Yankee Candle tea lights, in fragrances like Twinkling Lights, Christmas Cookies and Letters to Santa. For hardcore fans, there's also a larger advent calendar that comes with a jar candle and other bigger items ($104).
This box makes a great gift for teens since it comes chock full of 24 small enamel pins, in shapes that are festive (Santa, Rudolph) and not (cactus, unicorn). You can even personalize the box with a glittery, silvery first name!
With this calendar, you get to sample L'Occitane's best-of-the-year products, including verbena cooling hand cream gel, almond shampoo and conditioner, cherry blossom hand cream, citrus shower gel, even a wooden comb! Or, if you've been very good this year, you can upgrade to the premium version ($140), which includes more full-size products.
RELATED: The Best Beauty Advent Calendars
The cold, December nights are the perfect time to do a jigsaw puzzle — or 12. This one comes with 12 different 80-piece puzzles, each one featuring a different Michael Storrings's illustration of the season.
Count down to Christmas and get your pulse racing at the same time! Lovehoney's lingerie advent calendar comes in both regular and plus sizes, and they also have (NSFW!) calendars for toys you can use in bed, too.
How brave is your tongue? If you want to put it to the test, try this saucy gift set, which includes flavors like Carolina Reaper, Extra Hot Hot, Cajun and Mango Mild, among others.
If your family loves LEGO, they'll adore this alternative advent calendar. Each day comes with models to build or minifigures to uncover. This year, there are five LEGO advent calendar themes: Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy, Harry Potter, LEGO Friends and LEGO City.
For tinkerers, DIYers and those who remember the old FM radio days, this advent calendar gives you a piece every day that you can use to build a working radio. Note: It's intended for builders 14+.
If you're into alcohol and spirits, The Spirit Co. has a series of different alcoholic advent calendars that'll let you have tastes of drinks from around the world each night. The Whiskey Collection has 12, 30ml bottles of different whiskies, including some that are aged 8, 12 or even 16 years. Or, if that doesn't appeal, you can get a calendar with rum, gin, cognac, tequila or other liquors.
RELATED: The Best Advent Calendars for Men Who Love Spirits, Movies, Music and More
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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