The advent calendar phenomenon is growing every year, with so many exciting, fun, beautiful, and delicious options available. In the food and drink space alone, there is truly something for everyone. Prices range from impulse buy to extravagant. If you’re looking to wow a relative or friend (or treat your own family) with 12 to 24 days of pure fun, then don’t miss out this holiday season. These limited-edition calendars can sell out fast!
If you know a chocolate loving advent calendar fan, you have so many excellent choices! The Compartés’ Winter Foxes Chocolate Advent Calendar is beautiful, a winter wonderland featuring playful foxes and festive scenery. Behind the little doors you’ll find chocolates in innovative flavors like cinnamon bun, blackberry crumble, and sticky toffee. $109.95.
Bean-to-bar chocolate maker Dandelion Chocolate fashioned their impressive calendar in a homage to the constellations, including a star wheel to identify what you can see in the night sky. There are 24 ornaments, each containing a chocolate from an artisan chocolate maker across the U.S. Each ornament is accompanied by a story about the astral happenings of the day of the month. Chocolate and astronomy, what a cool pairing. $185.
Delysia Chocolatier’s theme this year is Ultimate Cookie Swap with 25 handcrafted chocolate truffles inspired by seasonal cookies. Flavors include beloved classics like gingerbread and snickerdoodle, along with unexpected treats such as hamantaschen and pizzelle. $79.95.
Tony’s Chocoloney Countdown Calendar has the same graphic appeal of their candy packaging, with cheery bold colors. The 25 “Tony’s Tinys” include dark chocolate almond sea salt, milk chocolate hazelnut, dark milk pretzel toffee and more. $19.99.
See’s 2024 Advent Calendar contains 24 days of premium See’s candies, from truffles to their famous lollipops and more, nestled within a charming wintry abode. Sturdy pull-out drawers offer easy candy access and whimsical pop-up illustrations that unfold like an enchanting storybook. $75.
With Sugarwish’s advent calendar, you have a couple of options. You can pick your assortment of treats from a panoply of candy choices (think M&M’s, Swedish fish, gumballs, and so on). Or, you can send someone a calendar as a gift online, and let them pick out their own treats.$79.
If you know a licorice lover then you are about to rock their world. Lakrids by Bülow Danish Gourmet Licorice calendar is a unique collection of classic varieties mixed with limited edition flavors of chocolate coated licorice, all crafted in Copenhagen. Inspired flavors include Frozen Mint, Salt and Caramel, Double Chocolate, and Milkshake. $59.99.
If your kitchen turns into holiday baking central during December, then the 24 Magical Days of Sprinkles and Decorative Candies from Sweetapolita is for you. A beautiful pink box contains 24 little drawers, each filled with a jar of adorable sprinkles. Each calendar comes tucked in a custom, cotton, drawstring bag, making it extra giftable. $99.
Dylan’s Candy Bar has two choices ranging from a huge Countdown Candy Tree with a glittery tree and stand with 24 shiny round ornaments filled with seasonal candies ($110) to a little tree shaped box with little perforated doors hiding 24 tiny holiday treats. $10.
Cheese virtuoso Murray’s has their 12 Days of Cheese advent calendar, the perfect gift for the turophile (cheese lover) in your life. It’s stocked with a bevy of items including nine cheese, oatcakes, and some mini jams. You do have to keep it refrigerated, but who wouldn’t want a ready-made graze board in the fridge for the holidays? $78
Uncommon Goods has a bunch of affordable options, such as 12 Days of Gourmet Nuts. Each 2-ounce reusable little tin has a different flavor or medley of nuts to indulge in such as Salted Pistachios, Honey Sea Salt Almonds, Cranberry Nut Blend, and Coconut Curry Peanuts. $55
12 Days of Hot Sauce is for the heat lover in your life (and we all have one). Twelve little bottles of liquid heat range from mild to spicy, sweet to savory, and will turn up the heat all month long. Flavors include Sweet Onion Habanero, Garlic Reaper, Plum Reaper, Chipotle BBQ, and Smoky Horseradish. $55
If you’re aiming to truly impress, or gifting a calendar to a family, go big! The Best of Harry & David advent calendar is not one but two festively themed boxes with snacks ranging from their famous Royal Riviera Pear, Moose Munch Premium Popcorn varieties, yogurt-covered peppermint tree shape pretzels, and blackberry galettes. $199.99
For the tea lover, try a collection 24 of Palais de Thes best-selling teas and herbal infusions for $38, or 12 days of Harney & Sons teas for $29.95.
Coffee lovers will love Onyx Coffee Lab’s journey through the world of specialty coffee with a 24 day exploration of beans. A box opens to an accordion containing 24 packets of single-origin whole coffee from across the globe — beans ready for grinding and brewing. $175.
Flaviar presents a substantial trunk-inspired box with high end whiskey samples plus 2 collectible and exclusive Glencairn glasses. Travel around the whisky world over the course of 24 days with Starward Nova Single Malt from Australia, and Sekk Sato Shiki from Japan, and loads of bourbon offerings from the U.S.A. including Haven Hill, Jaywalk, Rye, and Milam & Greene Triple Cask. Includes interactive tasting notes. $250.
A company by the name Give Them Beer offers you the chance to give someone…. well, yes, 12 days of beer. But also, 12 days of jerky, 12 days of bourbon, 12 days of red wine, 12 days of moonshine, and lots more adult-oriented indulgences. Prices start at $80 and up, and there are also some 24 day options.
A final international offering: Tokyo Treat Slice of Japan: 24 Days of Adventure Advent Calendar transports you to the land of the Rising Sun. Inspired by slice-of-life manga, this advent calendar includes Japan-exclusive treats like Matcha Latte and Peach KitKats, as well as collectibles, figurines, and anime keychains. $150.
Oh, and for those celebrating Hanukkah? No need to miss out on the fun. Harry and David offers an 8 Nights of Hanukkah Gift, an attractive Star of David shaped box with treats like gelt coins, macaron brownies, and cinnamon doughnut muffins. $109.99.
So how will you choose to count down to the holidays? These calendars make really thoughtful gifts (and how many other gifts can you give someone that are guaranteed to make them think of you every day from 12 to 24 days?)
___
Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” She blogs at https://themom100.com/. She can be reached at Katie@themom100.com.
___
For more AP food stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/recipes
