21 Trendy Advent Calendars for Teens
Help them count down with beauty products, pop-culture trinkets, and more to stoke the holiday hype.
We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.
Teens love to indulge themselves in little pick-me-ups. That's why they're the perfect recipients for an advent calendar, especially if they get one that's tailored to their interests. Luckily, it's easy to find one for every type of teenager.
Our top picks:
- Character collectibles: Furby Minis Advent Calendar
- Plush pals: Emotional Support Pals Advent Calendar
- Beauty haul: Lovery Premium Eau de Parfum Advent Calendar
- 12 days of slime: MindWare Putty Scents Countdown Calendar
- Under-$20 fun: Joyfy Rubber Ducks Christmas Advent Calendar
- Your teen baker: Williams Sonoma 24 Days of Baking Cookies
The best advent calendars for teens don't just ply them with chocolate. They speak to Gen Z. In our research, these picks rose to the top; they offer something more than candy to unwrap. Some give them activities to work on, like a craft or a puzzle, while others help them show off their fan pride for their favorite shows. And yes, some have literal treats—but others have perfume, stationery, and collectibles. Grab one, and make the wait for Christmas break feel a little less long.
Best Deal
Nine one-inch holiday Furbies are hidden behind doors of this 24-day countdown. On other days, kids might get stickers or a charm. There’s a keychain clip during the first week, so they have something to carry their new collectibles. Ages 5+
Funko is a collectible toy brand that teens don’t outgrow. This unique collection houses 10 Marvel Bitty figures, each less than an inch tall, with fun holiday theming like Iron Man holding a Santa sack. On the other 14 days, you might receive a display case, a keychain, or a holiday-themed accessory. Ages 3+
Some kids turn into teens without outgrowing their plush phase. These 12 mini plush and 12 plastic ornaments are meant to provide a happiness boost, or a little stress relief when they squeeze one of the plushies. Once all the doors are open, they'll have fries, a pickle, a wreath, a chicken nugget, and a yeti, plus more, all with different expressions.
Got a creative teen? This advent calendar is packaged like a portfolio case and comes with 24 surprises, including watercolors, markers, stationery supplies, and packaging that turns into a holiday city.
While this advent calendar doesn't choose the books for them, it'll help them lean into the hygge with items for readers such as a winter reading bingo card, a magnetic page-clip bookmark, book tags, and more.
Like all LEGO advent calendars, this one is a mix of minifigures and small builds (like vehicles) along with seasonal touches, like Grogu in a holiday sweater. Teens will appreciate the attention to detail! Ages 6+
Teens love to try new scents, and this gives them 24 travel-size fragrances to test and compare, or share with friends. Rather than testing brand names, this helps a teen nail down their favorite notes: jasmine, gardenia, rose, and vanilla will all smell different on their skin.
Storrings is my favorite puzzle artist—my kids and I love his work, with paint-stroke people in busy scenes. I bought this set of a dozen 80-piece winter-themed puzzles for a fun Thanksgiving activity. You could also take the 12 Days of Christmas title literally and suggest your teen builds one a day from December 25 to January 5.
When in doubt, stick to the classics. This 12-day advent calendar is filled with a dozen hot chocolate packets in a variety of flavors. They can add the day's mix to a mug of warm milk or water for a tasty, festive drink after school.
A bunch of rubber ducks is definitely the Gen Z sense of humor. These 24 silly 2-inch characters are all dressed for the holidays, including a snowman, unicorn, and a penguin in the mix.
There’s no hotter toy this year than butter-like slime. While this compound is called “putty” it is the same thing, 12 tins of different compounds that are satisfying to squish. Each has a seasonal scent as pumpkin pie, festive wreath, frosted cookie, and fruitcake.
For teens who love to go questing with their parties, this calendar will net them 28 polyhedral dice, 2 decorative swords, a storage tube, and a storage box.
For a little pick-me-up every day, they can enjoy this advent calendar filled with 24 different tiny squishies. Some of them are seasonal, some of them glow in the dark, while others are just plain adorable.
With this escape-room-style advent calendar, they'll have to solve riddles to get through an evolving story that starts with them getting lost in the woods. If they enjoy it, get them more Exit: The Game sets for their stocking. Ages 10+
Do you have a baker in the house? This beautiful countdown from Williams-Sonoma gives them 24 tools and accessories that will help their Christmas cookie efforts, including a mini spatula, 16 cookie cutters, and ribbon to decorate gift bags of homemade treats. Sign them up for the cookie swap for sure!
They say a magician never reveals their tricks, so this advent calendar will do it for them. Each day offers a new act to try, including classic magic tricks and even a few STEM experiments. There are also links to instructional videos from professional magicians. Ages 8+
Whether your teen is a little woo-woo and believes in the healing power of crystals or they just love geology and want to add new rocks to their collection, this advent calendar is cool. It reveals 24 rocks, gems, crystals, and a necklace plus information about the properties of each stone.
It’s like their own game of Hot Ones. This calendar comes with 12 different hot sauces, with names like "Zombie Apocalypse" and "Garlic Reaper." If they dig it, consider buying them a Make-Your Own Hot Sauce Kit for Christmas, too.
They can never have too much ChapStick, and this advent calendar will refill their stash with 12 lip balms in seasonal flavors like Hot Chocolate and Pomegranate Spritz. They're much-needed on cold, winter days!
This bath set comes with different, trial-size lotions, body scrubs, and bubble baths in teen-tastic scents like candy cane, lemon, and raspberry. There’s a Santa keychain, too.
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.
Jessica (she/her) is a contributor with several decades of experience writing lifestyle content and evaluating home, pet, and parenting products for families. A mom of two young adults and a cat, she was previously the Entertainment Editor at Parents and the Senior Lifestyle Editor at American Baby. When not testing toys, subtly starting at people's strollers, or taking meetings to learn about new car seats, she likes to travel. In 2026, she's made it to every continent except Antarctica.
The Best Food Advent Calendars
The Hot Wheels Advent Calendar Has the Coolest Car
Disney's Viral Advent Calendar Is Back—for Now
Wine Advent Calendars for Every Taste
